Mom Lets Kids Swim in Pond All Summer—Then Sees What’s Lurking in the Water

A Pacific Northwest family shared a video on TikTok showing what they found under the water in their home pond. The video starts with kids paddling in a pond. But the fun ended when Alicia showed a giant sturgeon swimming in the pond. Alicia, @chickenlittles on TikTok, told Newsweek the fish had been in the pond since her family bought the house. Terrifying discovery Alicia said the sturgeon has been in the pond since they bought the house. They hadn't seen it for a while. @chickenlittles "We don't know how it got here." "He's doing well, so we're not trying to move him," the mom said. Sturgeons are large, ancient fish found in oceans and rivers in North America, Europe, and Asia. They can grow very big, some species being over 18 feet long and weighing up to 2,000 pounds. Alicia told Newsweek that her kids, Gage and Stormie, weren't scared of the fish because it didn't have teeth. Sturgeon are bottom feeders. "My kids were excited and fascinated. They're not scared to swim," she said. The family has named the fish Steve the Sturgeon. They fed him and came back the next day to look at him. Alicia's video has been viewed over a million times and has hundreds of comments from other social media users, who were amazed and concerned by the fish. It's a bottom feeder that keeps the pond clean. "He won't hurt the kids," one user wrote. One user said they were dragged down by a sturgeon when they were around eight. They urged Alicia to be careful because they believe sturgeons aren't safe. Someone asked where the sturgeon came from. Alicia thinks the old owners put it there. Others shared their sturgeon stories: "I have one called Sheldon," one user said. "We have a 32-year-old sturgeon. Those aren't spikes. He won't hurt you. They live up to 60 years in our rivers. Another agreed and commented: "Their backs aren't sharp. They're just bumps. "He's gentle." https://www.tiktok.com/@chickenlittles/video/7412094560576245035