‘World's biggest great white shark' dubbed ‘The Contender' is spotted by trackers heading towards popular tourist beach
Named 'The Contender', the vast beast hasn't been heard from for several weeks.
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The massive shark has been skulking around the North Carolina coast for the past few months.
Scientists keep tabs on its location through a tracker that "pings" whenever the shark's fin breaks the water's surface.
But after several weeks off grid, the behemoth has surfaced again - this time near the popular North Carolina tourist area of Pamlico Sound.
The latest ping sounded on June 7, just before 10pm.
The scientists' tracking map appears to show The Contender making a move north since it last appeared.
Weighing a whopping 1,600 pounds, the shark was first tagged on January 17 this year.
The Contender started its journey about 45 miles off the Florida-Georgia border.
It is the largest ever shark tagged the research group OCEARCH.
The adult white shark measures a staggering 13 feet and nine inches.
Dr Harley Newton, OCEARCH's chief scientist and veterinarian, said: "This time of year white sharks are starting their late spring/early summer migration moving from their southern overwintering area to their summer/fall foraging areas in the northeastern US and Atlantic Canada."
The Contender's previous ping came on May 21, when it was much further south along North Carolina's coast.
However, beachgoers need not panic, as the shark is still swimming a fair distance from the coastline.
Dr Newton added: "We often see the sharks on our global shark tracker spend a period of time off the Outer Banks right before they move north, which is what white shark Contender appears to be doing.
"This may be due to rich food resources in the region and would serve as a time to feed and prepare before what may be a journey of 1,000 miles or more."
OCEARCH's website calls Contender "the ultimate ocean warrior" and a "mature male" specimen.
It adds that his nickname comes in honour of Contender Boats - an old partner of the research group.
The website says: "The SPOT tag deployed on Contender will provide valuable real-time data for approximately five years, helping us track his movements and understand his migration patterns.
"Additionally, we've collected important biological samples, including urogenital material, which are currently being analysed."
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Jim Lovell obituary
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Fireflies, also known as lightning bugs, are beetles that come out at night during summer and produce a bioluminescent gleam, primarily to attract a mate. Cultures around the world treasure the bugs, including in Japan, where they are symbols of love and fallen soldiers. Since ancient times, people have also collected them, venturing out with receptacles on hot, sticky nights. In addition to providing a source of entertainment, people have also collected them for scientific purposes and profit. 'Catching fireflies is a relatively harmless thing that you can do that really connects you to your natural world,' said Matt Schlesinger, chief zoologist with the New York Natural Heritage Program, which is participating in a project to identify which firefly species occur in state parks. Scientists in the US and Canada do not have baseline data on firefly species, which makes it difficult to quantify how much the population has decreased, and they must instead rely on anecdotal reports and documented habitat loss, which point to a downward trajectory, Fallon said. She and other researchers conducted a study published in the journal PLOS One which found that 18 species in North America are threatened with extinction. But the scientists also did not have enough data on more than half of the assessed species to determine their extinction risks, which means that more of the beetles could be in danger, Fallon said. The primary factor behind fireflies' decline is habitat loss and degradation, according to the Xerces Society. That includes land being disrupted by development, light pollution and pesticide use. Artificial lighting at night makes it hard for the bugs to communicate and mate, Fallon said. Climate change, including an increase in droughts and rising sea levels, also affect firefly populations, she said. Still, there are some firefly species that appear to be doing 'just fine', Schlesinger said. The kinds that specialize in particular habitats, like the big dipper firefly often found in suburban back yards, are the ones struggling, Schlesinger said. Scientists say the lightning bugs' apparent revival is probably due to increased rainfall this year. 'If they can still have a big year, at least those species are probably doing fine and have the potential to recover,' Schlesinger said. That said, 'any single year doesn't tell you about the long-term trajectory of firefly populations, just like any particular year that is colder doesn't mean that global warming isn't happening.' Riley Witzl, five, was still able to find some in a St Louis suburb. 'It was fun,' said Riley, who is entering kindergarten. 'I liked chasing them and holding them.' Kids should continue the tradition of venturing out with jars in the summer but should then release the bugs rather than collecting them, Schlesinger said. Other ways to help fireflies survive include: not using pesticides, reducing artificial lighting at night, and allowing the grass to grow long and the leaves to pile up in your yard. 'A lot of fireflies pupate in leaves, and so when we rake those and put them in bags, we're destroying their habitat at a very small scale,' Schlesinger said. Despite the concerns about extinction, Fallon is encouraged by master gardeners in Arkansas who created a firefly sanctuary, and by lawmakers in Maryland who approved legislation earlier this year which introduces new regulations on what type of lighting can be bought with state funds. She thinks people are more aware of and concerned about the firefly population decline. 'Charisma is a big part of it; people connect with fireflies,' Fallon said, of why people care about their survival. 'I think we have enough time to make a difference. Even small pockets of habitat can be really crucial for these species. But I think we definitely need to assess our priorities and decide: are we going to take action?'
