In which lake are freshwater sharks found? Caution freshwater sharks
There are so many unexplored corners on our planet, where nature presents unexpected gifts, captivates and impresses! And if you just think about the fact that almost 90% of water bodies have not been explored at all, then it becomes even a little scary. What do the azure depths conceal in themselves? For example, Lake Nicaragua?
"Sweet sea"
Local residents are accustomed to the proximity of their lake and have not thought about its secrets for a long time. They call it the "sweet sea". I wonder why? Because of the sweetness of fresh water? Or the vastness of its edges? The population of Granada calls the reservoir Lake Granada, but the rest of the planet knows only Lake Nicaragua, or Lago de Nicaragua. It is one of the largest bodies of water in the world and the only source of fresh water in all of Latin America. The dimensions are impressive, the view is beautiful, but the unusual inhabitants make you nervous. Only here you can see sea creatures, despite the fact that this is a lake. Scientists believe that the presence of ichthyofauna in the lake clearly proves the fact that Nicaragua was previously part of the Pacific Gulf. Why has everything changed?
After volcanic eruptions
It turns out that the reservoir was previously open, but tectonic changes and numerous volcanic eruptions provoked the flow of lava into the strait. So, part of the ocean separated and turned into an inland reservoir, which fenced off the inhabitants from the outside world. Slowly but surely, freshwater streams were displaced, but you cannot easily evict them. Gradually, they had to adapt to the new conditions. Sharks were among such opportunists. By the way, the existence of the latter has not yet been practically proven, since their adaptation to fresh water is highly questionable. Some people doubt that sharks are found in Lake Nicaragua, citing the fact that accidentally encountered marine predators come here from the ocean, leaving behind a distance of 200 km and traveling along the San Juan River. Then there is one more question - what attracts sharks here?
A mystery for all time
The freshwater shark of Lake Nicaragua haunts scientists around the world with its habitat, but the Indians can answer this question. They believe that sharks "paved a path" into the lake many centuries ago, and the reason was the ancient ritual of giving the dead to water. The bodies swam into the ocean and became the prey of predators. So, sharks got used to the taste of human meat and did not want to give up such a "diet". Now they do not feel fear when swimming in shallow water, where it is easier to attack victims. The problem became more and more complicated every year, which became the reason for the introduction of extreme measures to destroy toothy fish.
A tourist's paradise
Lake Nicaragua has long been a tourist destination. Moreover, they are not even afraid of the threat of being bitten. Adults and even children boldly climb into the water, however, with the observance of certain safety measures. For example, you cannot be distracted and forget about the threat. Do not swim with an open wound or during your period. In short, if you are tempted by the opportunity to dive into Nicaragua (lake), sharks will not be a serious hindrance. Tourists come to the town of Granada, which is located next to the reservoir. It is an amazingly atmospheric place that beckons for walks and adventures. By the way, the walk will not turn out to be tiring, because the town is quite small. In the central park, you can taste the famous Nicaraguan dish Vigoron, and carriages with excursions go to the lake. The trip will take no more than twenty minutes. Lake Nicaragua beckons with its magic. It is one of the twenty largest lakes in the world.
Cognitive excursion
If you come to Lake Nicaragua with a large company, then it is advantageous to rent a separate boat for an hour or more. The rental price is symbolic - only $ 13, but you have to bargain, since at first the price is impermissibly overstated. The islands near Granada were bought by local wealthy people. These are mainly summer residences, as the islands are just tiny and hardly accommodate more than one house. It turns out that one island is one villa. Some of them can be rented for a weekend, and for a large company or several families. The amount is also pretty nice - $ 300 for a weekend house. There are many monkeys in some lands. They are almost not afraid of people, but they do not pay special attention either - only 3-4 individuals come to feed. In general, walks along the islands turn out to be informative and interesting. There are unusual and bright ones, similar to which they slowly and importantly walk along the ground, sweeping it with their tails.
And now it's time to pay attention directly to Lake Nicaragua.
Description of the reservoir: its charms and beauty
A beautiful picture - a surface of water that resembles a mirror. It has amazingly clean air and the largest reserves of fresh water in Latin America. The maximum depth of the lake reaches 70 meters, and its area is almost 8600 square meters. By the way, the border with Costa Rica runs here. The San Juan River connects the lake to the Caribbean Sea, and fresh water flows from many rivers and streams. The deepest is the Tipitapa River, which flows from Lake Managua. Scientists believe that the reservoir appeared on the site of the ancient Pacific Gulf. Now the bay has been transformed, but the connection with the past remains. It manifests itself in the unique inhabitants of the reservoir, which are called the sharks of Nicaragua. More of these can not be found anywhere else, because this individual is close relatives of the gray
Scary visions
The legendary bull shark can become a truly shocking sight. Even without seeing her, but only after hearing the stories, you can give free rein to your imagination. And this type is also distinguished by the ease of adaptation to desalinated water and can hide for a long time in river estuaries. The dimensions of such a "nibbler" are simply indecent, and the danger to humans is serious. They say that they are just not indigenous, but swam here and could not swim away after the volcanic eruptions. Many scientists actively oppose this position, saying that a bull shark can jump over the San Juan river rapids like a salmon. They cite the presence of this type of shark in the open ocean to prove their assumptions. It has even been found that the voyage of sharks from the lake to the sea and back can take from a week to 11 days. This is how terrible Lake Nicaragua can be, and a bull shark is found in it quite often, according to the stories of local residents.
Ecology and problems
In general, the lake remains a unique reservoir, but its location causes some concern for ecologists, because it is polluted by sewage from nearby industrial plants. According to statistics, over the past 37 years, at least 30 tons of untreated wastewater has entered the lake every day. The marine fauna and flora of the reservoir are very diverse. Here water lilies bloom and fish swim, which are more common in salty waters. These are sawfish, herring, tarpons, and even sawn rays.
A self-cleaning process takes place in the lake, and all the dirt from the drains that gets into the water goes away. The reservoir has its own special character: in the east the water is calm and quiet, but in the west the influence of trade winds is manifested, and there is a constant strong ripple. Powerful storms are not rare either.
Not all of the islands on the lake are inhabited. The largest was formed on the basis of two volcanoes, which is reflected in the name - Ometepe ("ome" - two, "tepe" - a mountain). In 2010, the territory of this island was recognized as a biosphere reserve. The third volcano, Mombacho, is located in the west. In general, volcanoes on the lake have caused ash pollution.
The population here is represented mainly by mestizos. These are the descendants of the Indians who lived here in time immemorial. They are mainly engaged in agriculture - they grow coffee, bananas and cocoa. Part of the plantations is located on islands, where the ground is covered with volcanic ash, by the way, very useful for crops.
Helmet-bearing basilisks crawl along the banks. These are large lizards that run on their hind legs and can walk on water. It turns out that Lake Nicaragua and its scary inhabitants can be pretty cute.
On the island of Solentiname there are rocks with ancient drawings. The local islands are home to nearly a hundred species of parrots and toucans.
One gets the impression that this is paradise, but even paradise had its own difficulties. So what can you expect from the earth?
Coordinates: 11 ° 37'00 ″ s. NS. 85 ° 21'00 ″ W etc. / 11.61667 ° N NS. 85.35000 ° W etc./ 11.61667; -85.35000(G) (I)
Nicaragua is the only freshwater lake in the world that is home to sharks. In view of this fact and due to the small distance to the Pacific Ocean, scientists believe that the territory on which the lake is now located used to be a large sea bay. Over time, the passage to the sea was closed and a lake was formed, in which sharks still live.
Nicaraguans call it Lago Cocibolca or Mar Dulce (Fresh Sea). As in the sea, there are strong waves that raise the east winds blowing westward towards the Pacific Ocean. The lake has entire island groups such as Ometepe and Solentiname. Powerful storms periodically occur on the lake.
In July 2014, the Nicaraguan Canal route was approved between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, which will pass through Lake Nicaragua. Construction began on December 22, 2014. This circumstance is associated with the objections of opponents of the construction, who fear that with the beginning of ocean shipping the lake will lose its significance as a source of fresh water. But the organizers of the construction say that they have carried out the necessary dredging works on the lake, while refusing to use explosives in its waters.
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Excerpt from Nicaragua (lake)
Sonya was softened, agitated and touched by everything that happened that day, especially by the mysterious performance of the fortune-telling that she just saw. Now that she knew that on the occasion of the renewal of Natasha's relationship with Prince Andrei, Nikolai could not marry Princess Marya, she happily felt the return of that mood of self-sacrifice in which she loved and was accustomed to living. And with tears in her eyes and with the joy of being aware of the accomplishment of a magnanimous act, she, several times interrupted by tears that dimmed her velvety black eyes, wrote that touching letter, the receipt of which so amazed Nicholas.In the guardhouse, where Pierre was taken, the officer and the soldiers who took him treated him with hostility, but at the same time respectfully. One could also feel in their attitude towards him both doubt about who he was (is it not a very important person), and hostility as a result of their still fresh personal struggle with him.
But when, on the morning of another day, the shift came, Pierre felt that for the new guard - for officers and soldiers - it no longer had the meaning that it had for those who took it. And indeed, in this big, fat man in a peasant's caftan, the other day's guards did not see that living person who fought so desperately with the marauder and with the escort soldiers and said a solemn phrase about saving the child, but they saw only the seventeenth of those contained for some reason, by ordered by the higher authorities, taken by the Russians. If there was anything special about Pierre, it was only his awkward, concentratedly pensive look and French, in which he, surprisingly for the French, spoke well. Despite the fact that on the same day Pierre was connected to the other suspicious persons taken, since the officer needed a separate room that he occupied.
All the Russians who were detained with Pierre were people of the lowest rank. And all of them, having recognized Pierre as a master, shunned him, especially since he spoke French. Pierre sadly heard the mockery of himself.
The next evening, Pierre learned that all these prisoners (and, probably, he too) should have been tried for arson. On the third day, Pierre was taken with others to some house, where sat a French general with a white mustache, two colonels and other Frenchmen with scarves on their hands. Pierre, on an equal basis with others, was asked with that, allegedly exceeding human weaknesses, with the accuracy and definiteness with which the defendants are usually treated, questions about who he is? where he was? for what purpose? etc.
These questions, leaving aside the essence of life and excluding the possibility of disclosing this essence, like all questions raised in courts, had the purpose only of substituting that groove along which the judges wanted the answers of the defendant to flow and lead him to the desired goal, that is to the charge. As soon as he began to say something that did not satisfy the purpose of the accusation, they accepted the groove, and the water could flow wherever it pleased. In addition, Pierre experienced the same thing that the defendant experiences in all courts: bewilderment why all these questions were asked to him. He felt that it was only out of condescension or, as it were, out of courtesy that this trick of the groove being substituted was used. He knew that he was in the power of these people, that only power brought him here, that only power gave them the right to demand answers to questions, that the only purpose of this meeting was to accuse him. And therefore, since there was power and there was a desire to accuse, there was no need for the trick of questions and court. It was obvious that all the answers had to lead to guilt. When asked what he was doing when he was taken, Pierre replied with some tragedy that he was carrying a child to the parents, qu "il avait sauve des flammes [whom he saved from the flames]. Why did he fight the marauder?" Pierre replied, that he defended the woman, that the protection of the offended woman is the duty of every man, that ... He was stopped: this did not go to the point. Why was he in the courtyard of the house on fire, where witnesses saw him? He answered that he was going to see what was going on in They stopped him again: they didn’t ask him where he was going, but why was he near the fire? Who was he? They repeated the first question to which he said he didn’t want to answer. Again he answered that he couldn’t say that. ...
Lake Nicaragua is located in the eponymous state of Central America, in the southwestern part of the country, almost on the border with Costa Rica.
It is the largest freshwater body of Latin America: its area exceeds 8600 sq. km, and the maximum depth is almost 70 meters. The surface of the lake is 32 meters above sea level. Lake Nicaragua is connected to the Caribbean Sea via the navigable San Juan River. Fresh water enters it from many rivers and streams. The deepest of them is Tipitipa, which flows out of Lake Managua.
There are more than three hundred small and large islands in the water area of the lake, the largest of which is Ometepe Island with an area of 276 sq. Km. On about. Ometepe has two impressive volcanoes - Maderas and Concepciennes, overgrown with lush tropical vegetation.
Lake Nicaragua acquired its uniqueness not even because of its size, but because of the inhabitants who live there. Nicaragua is the world's only freshwater lake with sharks. In view of this fact and due to the small distance to the Pacific Ocean, scientists believe that the territory on which the lake is now located used to be a large sea bay. Over time, the passage to the sea was closed, and a lake was formed, in which sharks still live. Sharks are not found in any freshwater lake on the planet, At least - as permanent inhabitants. This type of shark belongs to the family of gray sharks, being a relative species of the gray bull shark. There is not even a consensus among zoologists whether the shark of Lake Nicaragua should be considered an independent species of Carcharhinus nicaraguensis, or this species is completely identical to the blunt shark Carcharhinus leucas. It is known that the bull shark easily tolerates desalination of water, therefore it often enters the mouths of rivers, sometimes climbing many kilometers inland. Individuals of the Nicaraguan shark reach a length of 2-2.5 meters and are classified as potentially dangerous to humans, although there are no official statistics.
In addition to sharks, there are also some others, exclusively marine inhabitants - these are saw-fish and sword-fish. Therefore, the lake will be interesting for sports fishing lovers, for whom special services are organized. In addition, some of the fish that live in the lakes of Central America, including Lake Nicaragua, are known as beautiful and unique aquarium fish that are in great demand among aquarium enthusiasts.
Hello friends! Today again about Nicaragua. I am sure that after my exciting stories about this mysterious country, you are already actively storming the search engines in the hope of grabbing a cheap air ticket to Managua (the capital of Nicaragua)! :))) I continue to write what to do in the poorest country in Central America. In the last post, I already started a story about the main attraction of Nicaragua, I told about the ferry to Ometepe, the Maderas and Concepcion volcanoes, about how to rent a scooter there, find housing and about the main cities, and today I will tell you about the island beaches, Lake Nicaragua and the shark- bull.
Ometepe Island is located in Lake Nicaragu, the largest lake in Latin America. Initially, they wanted to build a canal connecting the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean not in Panama, but on the territory of Nicaragua, because the Nicaraguan Lake is already connected to the Caribbean Sea by the San Juan River, but due to strong volcanic activity, the idea of construction remained just an idea, but on the other hand in all functions and earns money for his country, and at the same time for the United States of America. True, Panamanians have been fiddling around lately, so talk about the construction of a new canal across Lake Nicaragua comes up more and more often. 
Lake Nicaragua is also notable for the fact that it is home to one of the most dangerous animals in the world - the bull shark. This type of shark is considered the most bloodthirsty, because it can attack a person near the coast, even at a depth of half a meter. This is the only species of shark that lives in fresh water. The fact is that earlier Lake Nicaragua was part of the Pacific Ocean, but due to constant earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, an isthmus of land was formed, cutting off the modern territory of the lake from the sea. Over time, the water was desalinated thanks to the rivers flowing in, and the sharks got used to new conditions and live happily there. 
The fact that animals bite people is to blame for the Indians of Nicaragua, who for a long time sacrificed corpses on the Caribbean coast, which attracted sharks. Over time, the bull shark moved inland along the San Juan River and took root in the lake. Even today, few people visit the Indians living on the Caribbean coast, so it is possible that they continue to throw someone's corpses into the water, because new sharks continue to swim from the Caribbean Sea to Lake Nicaragua.
Found a video on YouTube. The bull shark (tiburón in Spanish) appears at the 50th second.
The animals, poor fellows, do not know that a hunt has been announced for them, and the government of the country strongly encourages the catching of bull sharks in Lake Nicaragua. Despite the fact that the main cases of shark attacks on people were recorded off the coast, the inhabitants of Nicaragua are not at all embarrassed by this, and they come to swim in the lake every evening before sunset. 
One day on Ometepe we rented a bike for half a day for $ 4 and went to the beach Punta Jesus Maria(Punta Jesus Maria) South of the largest city on the island Myogalps, drink beer and hang out in the lake. The distance of 4 km can be overcome easily and with a song, the road is excellent, asphalt, along the way there are fields with sugar cane, green palm trees, cicadas chirping so that they already lay their ears. 
I didn’t manage to flop in the lake, the water is not clear at all, and I’m afraid of bull sharks, so I decided to wait for the ocean - in a couple of days we were planning to be in the Pacific. 
I liked the beach - black sand mixed with shells, view of volcano Concepcion.
In the dry season, the lake is separated by a strip of sand a couple of meters wide. You walk along it, and on both sides there is water and waves. Awesome sensations, as if the water is parting in front of you. 
A turtle nailed to the shore, which then did not move for several hours: it did not run on land and did not return to the lake. Most likely, like me, she was afraid of sharks. So we sat on the beach with her until the evening. 
Right next to the beach, in a stall, you can buy beer, rum and other drinks to make the sitting more fun. 
It is allowed to drink alcohol on the beach, this is not Mexico. In Nicaragua, in principle, a lot of things are allowed. 
On the way to Punta Jesús Maria beach, you can see the construction of a new road. It looks very much like a future airport. 
I wrote about renting bicycles and motorcycles on Ometepe in the last post. In the next article I will tell you how to rejuvenate by 10 years in 5 minutes and what you should be afraid of on Ometepe more than bull sharks.
Good animals to you! Sincerely,
***
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Lake Nicaragua is located on the territory of the country of the same name in Latin America. It is a large freshwater lake and has a tectonic origin. Nicaragua lake area is 8624 square kilometers, and is the largest in size, ranking 20th among the lakes in the world. Lake Nicaragua is the only freshwater lake in the world with sharks reaching a length of 3 meters. Due to the fact that the lake is located near the Pacific Ocean, scientists believe that earlier the lake was located on the site of a large sea bay, which explains the habitation of sharks in the lake. 
It is still not clear how sharks have adapted to fresh water. Currently, the lake regularly hosts shark fishing championships and environmentalists are afraid that sharks are threatened with complete extinction. Locals call the lake Lago Cocibolca or Mar Dulce, which means “sweet sea”. On Lake Nicaragua there are a number of large groups of islands, including Solentiname and Ometepe, which is popular with tourists due to the fact that it has two volcanoes. From time to time, severe storms occur on the lake, Nicaragua is connected with the San Juan River, turning the city of Granada into an Atlantic port.
In the language of the Indians inhabiting these lands, Michigan means "big lake", it is located in North America, is located in the United States and is part of the Great Lakes system of North America. Lake Michigan is located 177 meters above sea level. Its area is 58,000 square kilometers, the greatest depth is 281 meters. Michigan is connected to Lake Huron by the Makino Strait [...]
