You’re standing on the banks of the Des Moines River, maybe tossing a lure for some walleye or just watching the murky water swirl past. The last thing on your mind is a jagged dorsal fin. After all, Iowa is about as landlocked as it gets. We have corn, we have hogs, and we have registers of the greatest bike rides in the world. We don’t have sharks.
Except, technically, we do.
The phrase shark attack in Iowa sounds like a B-movie plot or a particularly cruel April Fools' joke. But if you look at the police blotters and local news archives from the last couple of years, you’ll find that the "impossible" actually happened. It just didn't happen the way Steven Spielberg imagined it.
The West Des Moines Incident: A Shark Attack in the Corn Belt
In July 2024, the unthinkable made headlines. An employee at the Blue Zoo, an interactive aquarium located in the Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines, was bitten by a shark.
This wasn't a 15-foot Great White. It was an 18-inch bamboo shark.
The worker was reportedly trying to help the animal. The shark had been showing signs of distress, and the staff member was attempting to resuscitate it and move it to a larger tank. During the process, the shark—likely terrified and acting on pure instinct—clamped down on the employee's hand.
Bamboo sharks have teeth like tiny, sharp hooks. They don't just bite and let go; they're designed to grip.
Emergency services were called because the shark simply wouldn't release its hold. Eventually, the shark had to be euthanized to free the worker. The employee ended up in the hospital with minor injuries, but the story went viral instantly. Why? Because the data for the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) usually lists Florida, Australia, or South Africa. Seeing "Iowa" on that list feels like a glitch in the matrix.
Could a Shark Actually Swim to Iowa?
Honestly, this is the question that keeps people up at night after a few too many episodes of Shark Week.
If you’re swimming in Lake Okoboji or the Mississippi River, should you be worried?
Short answer: No.
Long answer: It is biologically possible for one specific type of shark to make the trip, though it hasn't "officially" happened in Iowa waters in modern history. We're talking about the Bull Shark ($Carcharhinus \ leucas$).
Bull sharks are the weirdos of the shark world. Most sharks die in freshwater because their cells literally explode from taking on too much water. Bull sharks have specialized kidneys and glands that let them recycle salt and maintain their internal chemistry. They’ve been found 2,500 miles up the Amazon River.
The Mississippi River Connection
In 1937, two fishermen near Alton, Illinois—just a stone's throw from the Iowa border—caught an 84-pound bull shark in a trap. Then, in 1995, another one was found at a power plant near St. Louis.
Is it impossible for a bull shark to swim past St. Louis, hook a left at the mouth of the Des Moines River, and end up in Keokuk or Ottumwa?
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Scientists say the biggest barrier isn't the salt—it's the temperature and the dams. Sharks are cold-blooded. Iowa winters would turn a bull shark into a "popsickle" before it could settle in. Plus, the Lock and Dam system on the Mississippi acts as a massive physical barrier.
So, while the idea of a shark attack in Iowa occurring in the wild is a favorite urban legend, the "attacks" we see are strictly confined to aquariums or, sadly, Iowans traveling abroad.
The Case of Heidi Ernst
When people search for Iowa shark stories, they often find the harrowing tale of Heidi Ernst. She’s a Marshalltown native and an incredibly experienced scuba diver—we’re talking over 500 dives.
In June 2023, she wasn't in a cornfield; she was in the Bahamas.
She had just finished a dive and was climbing back onto the boat when a shark bit her leg. The injury was catastrophic. Despite the efforts of the crew and surgeons in Miami, her leg had to be amputated.
She returned home to Iowa as a survivor. Her story is a reminder that while the state itself is safe, the "Iowa connection" to shark encounters is often one of travel and adventure gone wrong.
Why We Are So Obsessed With This
Fear is a funny thing. You are statistically more likely to be kicked to death by a cow in Sioux County than to be bitten by a shark in the entire state of Iowa.
But "Cow Attack in Sioux Center" doesn't get 50,000 clicks.
We have a primal fascination with predators in places they don't belong. It's the same reason people report "mountain lion" sightings in suburbs where the biggest predator is a chunky golden retriever. We want the world to be a little bit more wild than it actually is.
Misconceptions vs. Reality
- Myth: Bull sharks live in the Great Lakes and Iowa rivers.
- Reality: There has never been a scientifically verified live shark capture in Iowa’s natural waterways.
- Myth: The West Des Moines shark was a "man-eater."
- Reality: It was a bottom-dwelling bamboo shark that usually eats shrimp and small fish. It bit out of fear, not hunger.
- Myth: Climate change will bring sharks to Iowa soon.
- Reality: While oceans are warming, the physical barriers (dams) and extreme seasonal temperature shifts in the Midwest make it a very hostile environment for marine life.
Navigating the Hype
If you see a headline about a shark attack in Iowa, take a breath and read the fine print.
Usually, it's one of three things:
- An incident at an aquarium involving a small, captive species.
- An Iowan who was bitten while on vacation in a coastal state.
- A "fin" sighting in the Mississippi that turned out to be a large sturgeon or a piece of driftwood.
The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque often has to field these questions. Experts there, like Ryan Clark from the Iowa Geological Survey, remind us that Iowa did have plenty of sharks... about 345 million years ago. If you want to find a shark in Iowa, your best bet isn't a swimsuit and a life jacket; it's a rock hammer and a limestone quarry. Fossilized shark teeth are actually quite common in certain Iowa geological strata.
Actionable Insights for the Curious
If you’re genuinely worried or just fascinated by the prospect of Iowa sharks, here’s how to channel that energy:
- Visit the Blue Zoo or the Dubuque Museum: See these animals up close in a controlled environment. Learn about their biology so the "mystery" feels less scary.
- Check the International Shark Attack File: If you're traveling, use this database to see real-time stats. You'll realize how rare these events actually are.
- Look for fossils: Go to places like the Devonian Fossil Gorge in Coralville. You can find evidence of the ancient "Iowa Sea" where real monsters used to swim.
- Support conservation: Sharks are vital for the ocean's health. Even as a landlocked Iowan, what happens in the Gulf of Mexico (where our rivers drain) affects the global ecosystem.
Stay out of the "clickbait" trap. The only teeth you really need to worry about in an Iowa river belong to a very cranky Flathead Catfish.