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1.7K-Pound Great White Cruises by Outer Banks
Newser • • science
Key Points:
- A 14-foot, nearly 1,700-pound male great white shark named "Contender" briefly triggered his satellite tag near North Carolina's Outer Banks, marking a rare recorded visit by the largest male white shark ever tagged in the western North Atlantic.
- Contender's satellite tag ping was too brief to determine an exact location, but scientists believe he is moving north along his typical summer migration route toward cooler, prey-rich waters off Cape Cod and Atlantic Canada.
- First tagged in January 2024 off Florida and Georgia, Contender has traveled over 7,000 miles between Florida and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, with his tag expected to provide real-time data for five years.
- Researchers hope to gain insights into the behavior, feeding habits, and ecological role of this approximately 30-year-old mature male white shark, aiding efforts to understand and rebuild the species.
