Q: I’ve heard there are bull sharks in the Ohio River. That can’t be true … can it? A: While the chance of the highly aggressive predator (a confirmed man-eater) cruising the Ohio River is low, it isn’t zero. The beasts can live in fresh water and so have, in fact, managed to invade rivers and lakes around the world. Disturbingly, two were captured—in separate incidents—in the Mississippi near St. Louis, each having traversed the 700 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Experts say the Ohio may be a tougher nut, though, because sharks would have to negotiate a dam to reach Indiana. Even then, they couldn’t hang out year-round because bulls are a subtropical breed of shark. So while Ohio River shark tales continue to circulate, none have been verified. So far, anyway.
