Largest Great White Shark Ever Recorded Spotted Swimming Near Popular New England Beach Destination
The shark, named Contender, was tagged by the marine research nonprofit OCEARCH. Contender measures an impressive 13 feet, 9 inches long and weighs a whopping 1,653 pounds. Researchers referred to the shark as 'the ultimate ocean warrior," per MassLive.
Contender's latest satellite ping placed the massive shark in waters east of Massachusetts, specifically between Nantucket Shoals and Georges Bank, per the outlet. OCEARCH originally tagged the male shark in January off the coast of Georgia, approximately 45 miles offshore.
Contender then made the journey to Florida, before turning back up north. Before the ping off the coast of Massachusetts, there was a ping off the coast of North Carolina's Cape Hatteras, OCEARCH shared on Instagram on June 10.
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"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," the research group said in a statement. "Additionally, we've collected important biological samples, including urogenital material, which are currently being analyzed."
The group also revealed how they chose the shark's name. Contender is named after Contender Boats, "a longtime OCEARCH partner, whose industry-leading sport fishing and pleasure boats enable our research missions."
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Another great white shark was spotted in Cape Cod on July 4 by two paddleboarders, roughly 100 yards offshore from Stony Beach. The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy determined that there were an estimated 800 great white sharks in the waters around Massachusetts from 2015 to 2018, per WBZ News.
OCEARCH has shared an interactive travel log of Contender's migration journey on their official website.
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