People in Montana Are Convinced a Great White is Swimming in the Missouri

When it comes to getting information, you gotta be careful on social media and the internet in general. Sure, most of us can spot a bogus headline from a mile away or notice details that reveal an image is AI-generated.

But recently, a headline made "waves" and had me asking: "There's no way anyone really believes this... right?"

What Kind of Animals Live in the Missouri River?

According to the National Park Service, the Missouri River is home to over 400 species of animals.

But what about sharks?

I know, at first, it sounds like a ridiculous question. But believe it or not, there were people actually looking that up this morning following reports of a "great white shark" lurking in the Missouri River.

No, seriously.

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"Kara the Great White Shark has registered another unexpected inland detection following a new acoustic ping recorded tonight along the Missouri River system," the Journal, LLC shared, "Marine tracking data places great whites in coastal migration routes, with only rare deep-water deviations — freshwater river systems are not considered viable habitat."

Sounds fancy and... "official", doesn't it? The report goes on to say that despite the nearest ocean being 900 miles away... "the ping remains."

I don't know about you, but this is giving me "Sharknado" vibes. The "report" goes on to say that "Kara" is lurking around Poplar.

"The latest signal places Kara south of Poplar, raising new questions about environmental adaptability, navigation behavior, and the limits of known shark movement patterns," the report said, "Researchers continue to monitor the situation closely."

"Because in Montana… this isn’t supposed to happen."

Some Montanans Voice Concerns About a Shark in the Missouri

Now, I had a good chuckle when I came across this post because I thought: "No way will anyone actually believe this."

But it didn't stop people from speculating as to how it could have happened.

"If people research she was off the coast of Vancouver islands 2 days ago….. and how does she get past all the dams of the Mississippi and Missouri. lol
'Sharknados?'" one person pondered.

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"It would have to have bypassed many dams along the way," another wrote.

"Sharks can only swim in salt water with the exception of the bull shark," another pointed out.

Then, you have folks figuring it out in their comments, seemingly in real-time.

"So great whites can survive in winter temperature water," another questioned before adding, "Hmmmmmmm."

Another person got really close!

"I’m starting to think this Kara the tagged shark thing is all a big hoax."

You'd be correct - there are no great white sharks swimming in the Missouri River.

As a matter of fact, the author of the post had to post a disclaimer because the story started picking up steam, leading some to believe it was real.

The reality is someone decided to have some fun and spark up conversation. As to why, who knows? Maybe it was to drum up engagement for their page, to get a laugh, or all of the above.

Either way - it worked.