21 Facts About Lake Erie Animals That Will Absolutely Amaze You!lake trout

The Great Lakes are comprised of Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Superior, and Lake Erie.

The lake serves over 35 million people over its basin area. Canada lynx, the bald eagle, gray wolf, moose, lake trout, whitefish, muskellunge, and walleye are some key species down here.

The entire freshwater system is interlaced with forests, grasslands, and wetlands. The environment of these freshwater lakes provides a habitat for every kind of animal.

Many native and neotropical species migrated here and found a safe space to live. This place became a refuge for endangered and vulnerable animals. We can differentiate each of these lakes with their certain traits and the variety of wildlife that they have.

As such, Erie is the fourth largest or the second smallest among all the five lakes and is much warmer in comparison to the other four lakes. Lake Superior, the coldest one, is also the largest one among all the five lakes.

Like all the water systems around the world, the Great Lakes are also affected by pollution. There is no drainage structure, so basically, all the water that enters the lakes is stuck. Now, industrial chemicals, pollutants, sewage overflows, and agricultural or city runoff goes into the water, and just stays there, making it difficult for the environment to replenish.

Over the years, climate change has become a setback as well. A rise in temperature has started to evaporate lake water, leading to depleted supplies of drinking water.

The lake is already heavily compromised with the coming of invasive species (180 of them have already been identified) which is an add-on to the challenge. They tend to sabotage other habitats, fisheries, and water infrastructure. Asian carp is one such species that poses a real challenge.

They are seen to be making channels into the Michigan River system. Sulfide mining is responsible for sabotaging fish habitat, and also contaminating the water.

The whole area has seen a decline in the wildlife population. Aquatic organisms are the main sufferers.

With the increasing level of carbon dioxide, sudden alteration of the lakes is expected. The water level can get subsided by 0.65-8.2 ft (0.2-2.5 m) and the temperature can go up by 33.8-44.6 F (1-7 C), which can have an impact upon phytoplankton (cyclops bicuspidatus), zooplankton, and aquatic species.

However, eutrophication and acid precipitation is becoming a new issue lately. With doubled carbon dioxide expectancy, cold water fish are rumored to migrate or be eliminated. This fish species, belonging to cooler regions, are more likely to become extinct in the next 50 years.

Research shows that yellow-headed blackbirds in the Prairie pothole region, are seen to procreate less and predators are also a concern. Zebra mussels species are found to be more responsive to Erie's warmer environment.

Let's learn more about the wildlife species that exist in Lake Eerie now!

Endangered Animals In Lake Erie

There are several endangered species that exist in this particular region. Many non-native species have migrated over here, and many relocated sometimes deliberately, such as chinook, rainbow lake trout, and coho salmon. When they were exposed to this new environment, they lacked adaptations and skills to survive among predators.

Now, these alienated circumstances make them easy targets for other powerful species living in the water. Some of them were goby, zebra mussels, ruffe, sea lamprey, Asian carp, baitfish, crappies, catfish, otters, and largemouth bass.

However, the phenomenon of sea lampreys being dominant between 1936-1946 was significant and intimidating. The animals victimized by them used to die eventually or lose their value in the system due to the scars they got from the predator's suction-like mouth.

The invasive species were becoming a setback due to their competition and hybridization.

The competition of non-native species with invasive species led to the decline in native fish populations. Sometimes it was seen that the natives tended to breed with the invasive species, causing an increment of their population.

Blue pike used to be seen around Lake Erie and Ontario but this northern pike was extinct by 1983. The harelip sucker was pretty common in Lake Erie, the Ohio catchment area, and in the Mississippi Valley but has not been found since 1970.

Shortnose cisco got their dominance over Lake Huron, and Michigan. While the deepwater cisco was in Huron and Michigan, the population declined in the '60s.

The longjaw cisco used to be seen in Erie, Huron, and Michigan but lost its existence in 1975. Even sturgeon used to be very common but these days they are becoming vulnerable and losing their habitat.

Biggest Fish In Lake Erie

The sturgeon holds the record of being the biggest among other fish in this lake.

They are 7-12 ft (2.1-3.7 m) long and have taste buds scattered upon their prehensile lips. These lips, with vacuums, are supposed to chug their food.

Insect larvae, leeches, and metazoan are the basics they usually eat. The sturgeon uses the same process of filter-feeding for survival as larger aquatic animals. There are 25-27 of their kind and an average sturgeon weighs around 48 lb (21.7 kg).

They are an ancient bottom feeder, they have a cartilaginous skeleton and a streamlined shape. Another fish caught in Lake Erie that can grow up to 54 in(137.2 cm) is Muskellunge.

Most Dangerous Fish In Lake Erie

As a part of the Great Lakes, Lake Eerie house some dangerous invasive and native species.

Sea lampreys were considered apex predators and invasive species which were very common in this lake. They usually prey on trout. This species can smell blood or bodily fluids from a distance and used to get intrigued.

Piranhas have sharp, carnivorous, human-like teeth. These exotic species usually belong to cold habitats.

Bull sharks are rarely seen, but they sometimes get distracted from their destinations and enter this region. As bull sharks can generate their own salt, they can easily live in freshwater habitats. Snakeheads, having a 3 ft (0.9 m) bodily structure with strong fins, also made their place on the list of intimidating predators.

Famous And Most Common Animals In Lake Erie

The island serves as a refuge for a wide range of species. However, with certain limitations, they are not that populous, as human-wildlife conflict is making it difficult for several species to live here and invasive predators pose a great threat. The lake covers 20 islands with 10,000 acres (4046.9 ha) made out of limestone and dolomite.

Amphibians have wet skin for respiration, and their gelatinous eggs tend to grow in moist environments. They can usually live in aquatic and terrestrial habitats, where they develop accordingly.

Certain species are seen to renounce the aquatic stage and some remain aquatic. For example, the northern redback salamander remains on land and the mudpuppy remains on water.

Their skins are significantly vulnerable to pollutants, pesticides, and herbicides. Sometimes, in the aquatic development stage, even a small fish becomes a predator.

Here, in total, 24 amphibian species are identified. 13 salamanders and 11 frogs are discovered on one island, and the remaining nine salamanders and seven frogs are scattered across the rest of the islands.

American toads, green frogs, and bullfrogs are familiar, whereas Ambystoma, cricket frogs, leopard frogs, red-spotted newts, and chorus frogs are becoming vulnerable in their habitat. The animal species found here are from the Ontario side of Lake Erie.

With scale-covered leathery skin, reptiles are water repellent. They tend to produce an amniotic egg which has a significant resemblance to turtles, and snakes.

The development stages for their procreation vary in certain species; some eggs are carried in their body and some are outside their body. 28 species (18 snakes, one lizard, nine turtles) are dispersed across these islands. Even brown snakes, Lake Erie water snakes, painted turtles, fox snakes, and snapping turtles are very commonly seen.

These islands happen to be a refuge for endemic species, The Lake Erie water snake and indigenous fox snake started to fall in this genre for quite some time. However, lately, most discovered amphibians and reptiles are considered vulnerable and endangered, which is becoming a concern in Ohio, Ontario, the United States, and Canada.

Amphibians and reptiles often get hunted by predators. Ohio and Ontario environmental authorities are trying to marginalize their possession and trading.

Currently, there is not any presence of venomous snakes on the island. Timber rattlesnakes happened to be seen at South Bass Island, and Catawba Peninsula.

They have not been found for the last 40 years in any outskirts of the mainlands. Sometimes fox snakes get misidentified as rattlesnakes, as they tend to stir their tails.

Water snakes tend to strike with flattened heads and bodies which make them look venomous, but they are certainly not. There is a life expectancy of 20 to 100 years, for salamanders, snakes, and turtles.

No sharks have been sighted near Lake Erie. Lake Erie can become home to alligators but they are rarely seen.

Most Dangerous Animals In Lake Erie

The freshwater outskirts are the habitat for various fish species.

Yellow perch is very commonly found, and they tend to survive in toxic cyanobacteria at fisheries. Their diet includes small fish, fish eggs, crustaceans, insect larvae, and crustaceans. Salmons can pretty much be found here and there. Coho salmon, Atlantic salmon, pink salmon, and chinook salmon are the major ones.

Walleye happens to survive in the warm water. They are native to Saskatchewan. Mute swans are usually seen in inland marshes and lakes.

The lake whitefish shares a resemblance with salmon species and preys on insect larvae, snails, and clams. The great blue heron belongs to wetland habitats and is scattered in North American habitats. They usually eat rodents, birds, reptiles, fish, crustaceans, and amphibians for survival.

Canada lynx are from a cat family. They are nocturnal, and they catch birds, rodents, and hares.

Moose species, which are from the white-tailed deer family, dwell at the territorial border and are herbivorous. The common snapping turtle is seen in freshwater wetlands and they are believed to be aggressive. However, they are not.