AI Generated Image
Largest male great white shark ever detected on Atlantic coast emerges near top vacation spot
Yahoo • • science
Key Points:
- The largest male white shark tagged in the western North Atlantic, named "Contender," was recently detected near North Carolina's Outer Banks, likely migrating north along the East Coast as part of its annual summer movement.
- Contender measures 14 feet long and weighs nearly 1,700 pounds, with its GPS tag providing real-time data on its movements since it was first tagged in January 2022 off Florida and Georgia.
- White sharks in this region typically migrate to areas like Cape Cod and Atlantic Canada during summer and early fall to forage on prey such as grey seals, large fish, and schools of menhaden.
- Contender has traveled over 7,000 miles in the Atlantic, and its tracking tag is expected to continue supplying data for five years, aiding research on mature male white sharks and their role in population recovery.
- While large, Contender is smaller than the biggest known white shark, Deep Blue, who is around 20 feet long and weighs an estimated 4,500 pounds.
