Are there any fish or other animals in the Great Lakes, about which you have to worry about being

[raccoon]

bitten or eaten?

[leftyohiolib]

1. never heard of any

[geardaddy]

2. Not really.

Lampreys maybe.

[ret5hd]

3. Not any that left survivors.

Just sayin'.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Lampreys would be the worst, if...

they attack humans.

They have attacked humans elsewhere, but I don't know about in the lakes.

[Jenoch]

5. Is your question about a fish or another animal

biting and/or eating people who are swimming in one of the Great Lakes? If that is your question, then the answer is no, you don't have to worry about being bitten or eaten while swimming in one of the Great Lakes. If you happen to see an otter, which is unlikely, then you should steer clear of it.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_21228489/2d-minnesota-woman-attacked-by-otter

[liberal N proud]

6. I worry more about the water than anything

I will not go in the water on Lake Erie.

[RandoLoodie]

7. riptides are dangerous

but no great sea beasties I can think of.

[Jenoch]

11. Riptides? On the Great Lakes?

[raccoon]

12. That's what I was thinking too...you wouldn't have to worry about that or undertow. nt

[Jenoch]

13. Wind action in the form of waves could drag somebody out far from shore.

I used to live in Duluth, on the shores of Lake Superior.

I am curious about why you posed the question in the first place?

[raccoon]

14. Because I love the ocean, but I'm scared of sharks.

Of course, I'm a helluva long way from the Great Lakes....but maybe I'll make it up there some day.

[RandoLoodie]

16. they post warnings about them on Lake Michigan

for rip currents - I realize rip tide isn't a synonymous term.

[Jenoch]

17. I can understand the currents, which are mostly created by wind.

But there are no 'tides' on the Great Lakes (tides that are related to phases of the moon).

[RandoLoodie]

18. I use the terms interchangably

rip currents come from sand bar collapse near the shore, they pull you out deeper in the lake.

[irisblue]

8. no & the beaches along Lk. Michigan as almost perfect

I lived there for years, so my view might be a bit skewed. And the sunsets can be amazing, and now I'm homesick..

[surrealAmerican]

9. I've seen some fairly large snapping turtles around here ...

... but they tend to avoid the areas where people swim, and I've never heard of anybody being bitten while in the water. Still, if you see one - keep your distance.

[pinboy3niner]

10. I only worry...

...if my fried fish isn't too fresh.

As a little kid in Chicago, I remember the whole family and our relatives going to a fish house on the lake where they served heaping platters of fried perch. Those were the old days. It's probably toxic now.

[Enthusiast]

15. Sturgeon are the largest Great Lakes fish.

They have never been known to attack humans and are nearly extinct now anyway.

People have been bitten by Muskies but only in murky water where they might mistake a foot for a prey fish. While their bite certainly wouldn't be life threatening, it might scare you to death.

[jmowreader]

19. There are pike

A pike is permanently pissed-off, and it'll attack anything.

[No Vested Interest]

20. Isn't there some sort of invasive fish that's multiplying and may

endanger the native fish?
Probably not a problem to humans - yet.

[Archae]

21. Asian carp.

The DNR and other agencies is trying to figure ways to keep them out.

The biggest "menace" are Northern Pikes and Muskies, they are big, toothy, and aggressive.
A few people have been bit.

[Boom Sound 416]

22. Lake Michigan near Chicago.

Latin: hiintrestsharkus

[whistler162]

23. Yup

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/73/18421/ real scary!