Lake Norman monster revealed?

 Lake Norman: Is It Really As Dangerous As They Say

Thursday, September 02, 2010 By Meghan Gillogly

As summer is coming to an end, there have been many rumors about dangerous fish living in Lake Norman. But how dangerous is Lake Norman? Is it really the home to dangerous fish, or even worse, a new type of monster?

    I sat down with Caroline Earnheart, Sophomore, to see what she thought of the reports of such creatures. Caroline has been going to the lake about three times a month for eight years, so she has seen some crazy things.    “One time, I was about to climb back into the boat, when something large bumped into my leg. I was certain it was an alligator, so I climbed out really fast,” said Caroline.     She added that her grandparents, who have lived there for eight years, have thought they have seen alligators over by the dam, so could this “creature” possibly be an alligator?There have been scary reports of unusual fish living in Lake Norman such as Catfish, which happen to be growing into the size of a normal-sized man due to the radiation leaks in the water near the Duke Power Plant.     Lake Norman has created a website for this mysterious fish swimming in their waters. If you happened to see this creature, you can report the incident at www.LakeNormanMonster.com.The reports for these fish have been very interesting. Many people have claimed that the fish is rather large, brown and has a triangle snout and somewhat resembling an alligator. It has also been spotted near the surface as if the “alligator” was coming up for air. These circumstances, along with Caroline’s tale, have led me to believe that I have discovered what creature has been haunting Lake Norman. The belief of an alligator has to be cleared up. Although alligators live in North Carolina, they need warm climates from the coast to stay alive. It is impossible for an alligator to survive our cold winters. This piece of information, along with radiation, may lead you to believe that the fish is a large catfish. Catfish live in the bottom of lakes and other bodies of water, so that couldn’t have been the fish that bumped into Caroline.  From my understandings, I think the fish is an Alligator Gar. It is a large fish, growing to be eight or ten feet in length and they can weigh at least 200 pounds. They get their name for their alligator-like snout and brown coloring, just like the fish  everyone has been describing. But their most interesting feature is the way they breathe. They have a special organ in their body that allows them to breathe oxygen, and survive outside of water for two hours. They will often come up to the surface, which explains multiple sightings by tubers, boaters, and swimmers. The best thing about this fish is that they never attack humans, despite of their sharp teeth.   Knowing what fish is living in Lake Norman is very important to us as a community. Hopefully, everyone can feel safe swimming in this amazing place, now that we understand that our “Lake Norman Monster” is actually a harmless fish in disguise. Source:http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/schoolid/2714/articleid/369033/newspaperid/2744/Lake_Norman_Is_It_Really_As_Dangerous_As_They_Say.aspx