Discover and Learn at the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Scrience Center! You'll discover 60 species of fish, amphibians, and reptiles, major traveling exhibitions, and the multimedia Awesome Forces Theater. It's a fun way for the whole family to learn and appreciate Lake Champlain.
Check out their special events and programs for students!
| Champ: Lake Champlain’s Mystery Creature |
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Use the control above to listen to Champ: Lake Champlain’s Mystery Monster. If you are unable to listen, or prefer to read the story, please click here.
 Drawing by Samuel de Champlain. Might this be the fish that looked “monstrous” to the French explorer? Chaousarou is the name given to the fish by the Algonquin Indians, and some believe it refers to the garpike. Listening For Champ In fall of 2003 Fauna Communications Research Institute listened for sounds of Champ in various portions of the lake. What the Fauna scientists found in the lake was echolocation. Echolocation is used by animals for finding food (fish) and obstacles to avoid. Some call it perfect underwater sight. The only other known aquatic animals that echolocate are dolphins and whales, and a few river dolphin found in China, India, Pakistan, and Brazil. There are no beluga whale or dolphin in Lake Champlain. Man-made sonar or fish-finders send out a signal that is very regular, and entirely different than biologically produced sonar. The Fauna Communications discovery is the first evidence of freshwater lake echolocation. This Champlain echolocation signal, under analysis, is similar to beluga whale, dolphin and killer whale echolocation, yet different enough that a positive identification couldn't be made. Using advanced acoustic equipment it was found that the three different creatures (under analysis even our own voices are different) recorded in Lake Champlain were approximately 15 feet long, and trolled at 5 knots. Fauna Communications Research Institute presented their scientific findings at a fall 2003 conference of the Acoustical Society of America (American Institute of Physics). More information on their research can be found on the Fauna Communications Web site. Prepared by the Lake Champlain Basin Program. |
As old as the Lake itself are stories of Champ—the mysterious creature of Lake Champlain. The native Abenaki people told Samuel de Champlain of its presence as he ventured down the Lake and settlers reported sighting it in the early 19th century.