Crabs, leeches and snakes: These animals accompany you when you swim in Bavaria's bathing lakes
Created: 2022-08-03 04:52
By: Felix Herz
In the bathing lake, people are not alone - they are accompanied by numerous small to large animals.
© Wilhelm Mierendorf / blickwinkel / IMAGO / Mercury collage
Swim a lap in the bathing lake – fantastic.
But you are not alone.
From crayfish to eel: These are the typical residents of Bavarian bathing lakes.
Munich – Horror stories of poisonous animals in water are heard again and again.
Mostly they play in exotic countries and not in Bavaria.
And one thing straight away: there are no really dangerous animals in the Bavarian bathing lakes.
Maybe a catfish nibbles a foot, or a crayfish pokes a bather in the calf - but that's usually about it.
Whether you still want to know what crawls and flees in your local lakes is up to you.
Crayfish in bathing lakes: a 20 centimeter contradiction
Contrary to their name, crayfish are not only found in rivers, but also feel at home in Bavarian bathing lakes.
The crustaceans can grow up to 20 centimeters in size - but they are completely harmless to humans and an integral part of nature in Bavaria.
Contrary to what their name might suggest, crayfish are also found in lakes.
© blickwinkel / IMAGO
Ravenous robbers in the Bavarian bathing lake: the catfish
The catfish found in Bavarian waters can grow up to two meters long.
According to the Bavarian State Fishing Association, they are nocturnal predators that prefer slow-flowing and murky waters with soft bottoms.
Even waterfowl and ducks can quickly become a meal for catfish.
The large fish are generally harmless to humans - but they can sometimes bite, especially if you step on their nest.
Catfish can get really big - and even a small duck can disappear in its mouth.
© blickwinkel / IMAGO
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Small and rather disgusting: Egel
Reassuring news first: According to the
Augsburger Allgemeine
, there are hardly any known leeches in Bavaria.
However, horse leeches do.
They grow up to 15 centimeters long, but are completely harmless to humans.
There are hardly any leeches left in Bavaria - but the horse leeches shown here do.
© blickwinkel / IMAGO
The robbers of the Bavarian lakes: pike
The pike can be over a meter long and is found in many bathing lakes in Bavaria.
It is one of the predatory fish, but it is extremely rare for a pike to nibble on a bather.
Zander, also known as pikeperch, are found in Bavarian bathing lakes.
© blickwinkel / IMAGO
Diligent Wanderer: The Eel
Elongated, slippery and with scales: many people are disgusted by eels, but the resilient animals are quite impressive.
According to the Bavarian State Fishing Association, they cover between 4,000 and 7,000 kilometers to spawn – all the way to the western Atlantic.
The hatched larvae are then carried back into their native waters with the Gulf Stream.
There are eels almost everywhere in Bavarian lakes and rivers.
© blickwinkel / IMAGO
Bavarian bathing lakes: home of the grass snake
There are also snakes in the lakes of the Free State.
There they are part of the permanent inventory - even if you only rarely see them.
The common grass snake in particular is extremely shy.
You don't have to be afraid of the reptile, it is neither aggressive nor poisonous.
However, bathers should not annoy the grass snake either, because then the animal can snap.
The grass snake is a shy snake and not poisonous.
But she can bite if you annoy her.
© blickwinkel / IMAGO
The inhabitants of the bathing lakes: Bavaria is not Australia
The nature in Bavaria is diverse and above all the local lake landscape is home to numerous animals.
However, these are only dangerous for bathers in the rarest of cases.
So there is no need to be afraid of poisonous and deadly crawlers, such as those found in Australia, for example.
(fhz)
