Lake Nicaragua: a description of the reservoir. Lake Nicaragua and its terrible inhabitants

How much more on our planet unexplored corners, where nature presents unexpected gifts, captivates and impresses! And if you just think about the fact that almost 90% of reservoirs are not investigated at all, it becomes even a little scary. What is hidden in azure depths? For example, Lake Nicaragua?

"Sweet Sea"

Local people are accustomed to the proximity of their lake and have not thought about its secrets for a long time. They call it the "sweet sea". I wonder why? Because of the sweetness of fresh water? Or the vastness of its edges? The population of Granada calls the lake the lake of Granada, but the rest of the planet knows only the lake of Nicaragua, or Lago de Nicaragua. It is one of the largest reservoirs in the world and the only source of fresh water in the whole of Latin America. The sizes are impressive, the view is beautiful, but the unusual inhabitants make you nervous. Only here you can see sea creatures, despite the fact that this lake. Scientists believe that the presence of ichthyofauna in the lake clearly demonstrates the fact that earlier Nicaragua was part of the Pacific Gulf. Why is everything changed?

After the eruption of volcanoes

It turns out that earlier the reservoir was open, but tectonic changes and numerous volcanic eruptions provoked a runoff of lava into the strait. Thus, part of the ocean separated and turned into an internal water reservoir, which fenced the inhabitants from the outside world. Slowly but surely, sea water was superseded by freshwater streams, but the sea inhabitants are not so easily evicted. Gradually they had to adapt in new conditions. Among such opportunists were sharks. By the way, the existence of the latter has not yet been proved practically, since their adaptation to fresh water is highly doubtful. Someone doubts that in the lake of Nicaragua there are sharks, explaining this by the fact that accidentally encountered sea predators get here from the ocean, leaving behind a distance of 200 km and traveling along the San Juan River. Then there is another question - what attracts sharks here?

Riddle for all times

The freshwater shark of Lake Nicaragua does not give rest to the scientists of the whole world its habitat, but the Indians can give an answer to this question. They believe that sharks "paved the path" into the lake centuries ago, and the reason was the ancient ritual of betraying the dead to the water. The bodies sailed into the ocean and became prey for predators. So, sharks have got used to taste of meat of the person and did not want to refuse such "diet". Now they do not feel afraid when swimming in shallow water, where it's easier to attack the victims. The problem became more complicated with each year, which led to the introduction of extreme measures to destroy toothy fish.

Paradise for the tourist

Lake Nicaragua has long been the land promised for tourists. And they are not afraid of even the threat of being bitten. Boldly climb into the water, adults and even children, however, with certain security measures. For example, you can not be distracted and forget about the threat. You can not swim with an open wound or during menstruation. In short, if you are tempted by the opportunity to dive into Nicaragua (lake), sharks will not become a serious hindrance. Tourists come to the town of Granada, which is next to the pond. This is an amazingly atmospheric place, which attracts walks and adventures. By the way, the walk will not be tiresome, because the town is very small. In the central park you can try the famous Nicaraguan dish Vigoron, and to the lake go coaches with excursions. The trip will take no more than twenty minutes. Lake Nicaragua and beckons its magic. It is one of the twenty largest lakes in the world.

Cognitive excursion

If you come to the lake of Nicaragua a big company, it is profitable to rent a separate boat for an hour or more. The rental price is symbolic - only 13 dollars, but will have to bargain, since at first the price is unacceptably overestimated. The islands near Granada are bought by local rich people. These are mainly summer residences, since the islands are just tiny and are unlikely to accommodate more than one house. It turns out that one island is one villa. Some of them can be rented for the weekend, and for a large company or several families. The amount is also very pleasant - $ 300 per house for the weekend. On some lands, many monkeys. They are not afraid of people, but they do not pay much attention either - only 3-4 individuals come to feed. In general, walks on the islands are cognitive and interesting. There are unusual and bright, like birds of paradise, which slowly and importantly walk on the ground, sweeping it with their tails.

And now it's time to pay attention directly to the lake of Nicaragua.

Description of the reservoir: its charms and beauty

A beautiful picture is a water surface resembling a mirror. There is surprisingly clean air and the largest fresh water reserves in Latin America. At maximum depth of the lake reaches 70 meters, and the area is almost 8600 square meters. By the way, here lies the border with Costa Rica. With the Caribbean Sea, the lake joins the San Juan River, and fresh water flows from a multitude of rivers and streams. The most full-flowing is the Tipitapa River, which flows from Lake Managua. Scientists believe that the reservoir appeared on the site of the ancient Pacific Gulf. Now the bay has transformed, but the connection with the past has remained. It manifests itself in unique inhabitants of the reservoir, which are called sharks of Nicaragua. More such nowhere to be found, because this individual is a close relative of a gray bull shark.

Scary visions

A truly shocking sight can be the legendary bull-shark. Even without seeing it, but only hearing stories, you can give free rein to your fantasy. And this type also differs by the simplicity of adaptation to desalinated water and can hide in the river mouths for a long time. The dimensions of such a "toothy" are simply indecent, and the danger to a person is serious. They say that they are not just the indigenous inhabitants of the lake, they swam here and could not sail after the eruption of volcanoes. Many scientists actively object to this position, saying that a bull-shark can jump over the river rapids of San Juan, like a salmon. In support of their assumptions, they lead the presence of a shark of this type in the open ocean. It was even found that a voyage of sharks from the lake to the sea and back can take from a week to 11 days. That such a terrible can be the lake of Nicaragua, and the shark-bull occurs in it quite often, if you believe the stories of local residents.

Ecology and problems

In general, the lake remains a unique reservoir, but its location causes some environmental concerns, because it is polluted by sewage from nearby industrial plants. According to statistics for the past 37 years, at least 30 tons of untreated wastewater hit the lake every day. Marine fauna and flora of the reservoir are very diverse. Here, water lilies are blooming and fish are swimming, which is more common in salty waters. This fish-saw, herring, tarpon and even sawfoot ramps.

In the lake there is a process of self-cleaning, and all the dirt from the drains that gets into the water goes away. The water has its own special character: in the east the water is calm and quiet, but in the west the trade winds are affected, and there is a constant strong ripple. Not rare and powerful storms.

Not all the islands on the lake are inhabited at all. The largest one was formed on the base of two volcanoes, which is reflected in the name - Ometepa ("ome" - two, "tepe" - mountain). In 2010, the territory of this island was recognized as a biosphere reserve. In the west, there is a third volcano - Mombacho. In general, volcanoes on the lake caused ash pollution.

The population here is mainly represented by the Mestizo. These are the descendants of the Indians, who lived here in immemorial times. Mostly they are engaged in agriculture - they grow coffee, bananas and cocoa. Part of the plantation is on islands where the earth is covered with volcanic ash, by the way, very useful for crops.

On the shores of the creeping shlamonosnye basilisks. These are large lizards that run on their hind legs and can walk on water. It turns out that the lake of Nicaragua and its terrible inhabitants can be pretty nice.

On the island of Solentiname there are rocks with ancient drawings. On the islands there are almost a hundred species of parrots and toucans.

It seems that this is a paradise, but even in paradise there were difficulties. So what can you expect from the earth?