Viral 'shark' video shows Toronto beachgoers in a panic for absolutely no reason
At first glance, it's easy to see why a viral video of an alleged shark sighting at Toronto's Woodbine Beach had everyone in a frenzy: a packed beach during a summer heatwave, frantic lifeguards, people running out of the water. All the makings of a Jaws movie.
If you were scrolling Instagram this weekend, you may have seen a video on your Explore page that had people convinced a shark was lurking off Toronto's shoreline.
Posted on July 5, the video shows a chaotic scene at the popular hotspot in the Beaches. Lifeguards are running across the sand, swimmers are getting out of the water, and beachgoers appear confused about what's happening. Is it a shark? Is it a giant turd?
The original poster claims "reports of a possible shark nearby," and believe it or not, some people were actually convinced there was an aquatic predator cruising through Lake Ontario.
The only problem? That's... not really possible.
Woodbine Beach sits on Lake Ontario, which is, as the name suggests, a freshwater lake. The vast majority of sharks are saltwater fish that can't survive in freshwater because their bodies rely on salt to regulate fluids.
While there are 28 different species of sharks that spend some or all of their time off Canadian coastlines, Canadian Geographic says they're found in the Atlantic Ocean (Nova Scotia and Newfoundland) or the Pacific Ocean (British Columbia).
Our typically frigid lake is not very inviting to the predators because, as experts point out, sharks have standards (those divas!) and can't handle cold Great Lakes waters.
Whether this was a publicity stunt or not remains to be seen. In the past, residents have experienced this before, like in 2014 when a shark sighting in Lake Ontario turned out to be a stunt orchestrated by Bell Media to promote a new show on its Discovery Channel.
Even species that can tolerate freshwater for short periods, like the bull shark, aren't making the trip to Toronto. It's not like in the Maritimes, where the great white shark (an endangered species in Canada) has sightings that have increased over the years, according to news reports.
Lake Ontario isn't an easy trip for a shark, and they'd have to survive an impossible journey through rivers, locks, and changing water conditions to get there. That type of journey would work for a Disney animation, but not in real life.
Smaller shark species could indeed wind up in the Great Lakes via the ballast water of ocean-going ships, and even aquarium species released into the wild, though it would be difficult for them to survive long enough to go full Jaws mode on a beach.
As for the lifeguards clearing the water, it was likely, as others pointed out in the comments, that they were following safety protocol while responding to reports of a possible routine safety incident in the water. During any potential water search, it's common practice to clear the area in case of an emergency.
Luckily, there were no such reports at Woodbine Beach that weekend.
So, jump in, the water's fine.
@mansikumar438
