Sharks in Floodwaters?

[Will E Worm]

Sharks in Floodwaters? Fake Hurricane Sandy Pics, but Still Possible

Amid all the pictures of the floodwaters following Hurricane Sandy, something odd in the deep water keeps popping up on Twitter and Facebook – fins. Shark fins.

While it’s generally assumed the fins are fake, they’ve still caused a fright.

“HOLY CRAP” @stephanieelliot tweeted in response to this shark photo, which was tweeted more than a thousand times. “Please tell me this isn’t true,” another person posted on Facebook in response to the same photo. Then there was Sean Kingston, who tweeted: “Heard somebody seen a shark just swimming in their neighborhood … because of #Hurricanesandy. This is crazy. Stay safe people!”

The photo shown above and the one in that tweet have been confirmed as fakes — the one above even made the rounds during Hurricane Irene. But these photos raise the inevitable question: Is it possible for sharks to swim up on the shore when floodwaters take over neighborhoods and streets?

“This would certainly be unusual, although not beyond the realm of possibility,” Christopher Dold, vice president of veterinary services at SeaWorld, told ABC News. “SeaWorld’s wildlife rescue team often helps marine animals in strange predicaments because of tidal changes and unusual water surges. Since Brigantine, like the rest of the New Jersey coast, was inundated with saltwater, in theory a shark could survive in such a scenario. Some sharks, like bull sharks, can even be found in freshwater, and there have been reports of bull sharks hundreds of miles upriver from the ocean.”

Dold wasn’t the only expert who mentioned bull sharks. A representative at the Dallas Zoo mentioned that bull sharks were notorious for swimming upstream in freshwater. It was bull and white sharks that killed four people on the New Jersey Shore in 1916.

But other experts were more skeptical, and called it fantasy.

“It is highly unlikely. While scientific evidence is scanty, there is one study that demonstrates offshore movement of sharks in advance of an incoming hurricane, suggesting that old fishermen observations are spot on. Also remember that sharks are not likely to wish to be in the superhigh energy surf zone during a storm nor venture into the very alien and novel environment of flooded lowlands,” George H. Burgess, the director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, told ABC News.

“By contrast, some sharks, such as bulls and tigers, may frequent the mouths of rivers after such storms taking advantage of easy pickings. However, at this time of year the natural cooling of water temperatures in the area directly affected by Sandy probably has already pushed these species to the south or out to Gulf Stream waters, well away from the flooding.”

Article

 

[Ace Bandage]

The article title reads: Sharks in Floodwaters? Fake Hurricane Sandy Pics, but Still Possible

Really? It's possible in the same way that an attack by hordes of alien space turtles is also possible. All the pictures are shopped. This shouldn't even be a story.

 

[sean miguel]

Sure it's possible, if a shark could swim up a freshwater creek and attack and kill people.

 

[vodkazvictim]

Sharks like to live deep. That's why people swim safely off beaches.
Floodwaters are by nature shallow and likely to unnerve sharks by being significantly different to their natural environment.

 

[Mr. Daystar]

I might buy it, if it were June. Some sharks do thrive in shallow waters, and there is one that can swim in fresh water....but I think it's native to Africa, or South America.

The fake pic of the Statue Of Liberty, with the swirl of clouds was pretty cool though.

 

[STDiva]

Those pics aren't even photoshopped good.

 

[Boobinator]

Fake.

Of course a shark could be washed up in a flood. But cities are relatively warm places, and the floods are shallow, sharks like cold, deep water. Also, there's no prey there and they would feel trapped in the narrow passages, and swim back immediately.

All the water in a flood is still no more than a tiny fragment of the body of water in coastal seas. Try building a lego city next to an aquarium and use your breath to splash up water on it. If you manage to strand a single guppy in that town I'll personally sponsor your way to the next olympic marathon.

 

[StanScratch]

Obviously, none of you ignorant fuckers have heard of a land shark, many times pretending to be candy-gram deliverers.

 

[Ace Bandage]

Obviously, none of you ignorant fuckers have heard of a land shark, many times pretending to be candy-gram deliverers.

The only land shark I'm aware of is served in a glass bottle.

 

[Bearded_Menace]

Dammit, Shark week has been airing on the discovery channel every first week in August for the past 25 years and we still get questions like this? It is completely possible. The most likely culprit is the Bull Shark given their unique ability to thrive in both fresh and salt water. Also, they like shallow water.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/07/0719_050719_bullsharks_2.html

There were reports of sharks being seen during Hurricane Katrina, so this wouldn't be without precedent. In this case, however, I doubt that sharks were found up near the northern east coast at this time of the year. Finding them in cold water is rare.

 

[VeronicaVice]

Scary thought... but can't really happen...

 

[Mr. Daystar]

Obviously, none of you ignorant fuckers have heard of a land shark, many times pretending to be candy-gram deliverers.

Classic! Wish I would have thought of it...wish I could rep you for it.