Massive great white shark resurfaces off North Carolina coast
Massive great white shark resurfaces off North Carolina coast
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Great white shark splashes close to shore
Drone footage captured a great white shark swimming along the beach in Montauk, New York.
Perhaps the big fish is visiting for the upcoming 50th birthday of 'Jaws,' the upcoming July 4 holiday, or it is just plain migrating north.
Whatever the reason, the Atlantic Ocean's largest tagged great white shark on record resurfaced off the coast of North Carolina, just off the Outer Banks near Cape Hatteras, this week, scientists said
At nearly 14 feet in length, "Contender," a great white male shark is "making moves along the Atlantic coast, giving us more valuable data on the lives of white sharks in the Northwest Atlantic," OCEARCH, a global non-profit marine research group tracking shark sightings and migration wrote on social media.
Shark attack: 9-year-old girl bit by fish while snorkeling in Florida, family says
Massive great white shark pings in East Coast water
Researchers first tagged Contender in January off the Florida-Georgia coast, as previously reported by USA TODAY.
Since then, the shark has pinged several times including on Jan. 26 and Feb. 6.
A ping means the Smart Position and Temperature Transmitting tag attached to the fish's dorsal fin was spotted above the surface for a brief period as it swam, transmitting a near-live location signal to the OCEARCH shark tracker.
Dunn-dunn... 'Jaws' returning to theaters for 50th anniversary: See when
How much does the biggest great white tagged weigh?
According to OCEARCH's shark tracker page, Contender weighs 1,653 pounds.
How old is Contender, the great white shark?
Contender is an adult male shark believed to be just over 30 years old.
See live view of tagged sharks that are tracked:
The visit comes at the time of year when great white sharks start migrating north to warmer waters for a larger food supply, according to the non-profit
"Every ping helps us get one step closer to understanding and protecting these incredible animals," it wrote on Facebook.
To track Contender and other sharks online, download the free OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker App, available on iOS, Android, and on desktop at ocearch.org
Contributing: USA TODAY's Taylor Ardrey
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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Massive great white shark resurfaces off North Carolina coast
Massive great white shark resurfaces off North Carolina coast Show Caption Hide Caption Great white shark splashes close to shore Drone footage captured a great white shark swimming along the beach in Montauk, New York. Perhaps the big fish is visiting for the upcoming 50th birthday of 'Jaws,' the upcoming July 4 holiday, or it is just plain migrating north. Whatever the reason, the Atlantic Ocean's largest tagged great white shark on record resurfaced off the coast of North Carolina, just off the Outer Banks near Cape Hatteras, this week, scientists said At nearly 14 feet in length, "Contender," a great white male shark is "making moves along the Atlantic coast, giving us more valuable data on the lives of white sharks in the Northwest Atlantic," OCEARCH, a global non-profit marine research group tracking shark sightings and migration wrote on social media. Shark attack: 9-year-old girl bit by fish while snorkeling in Florida, family says Massive great white shark pings in East Coast water Researchers first tagged Contender in January off the Florida-Georgia coast, as previously reported by USA TODAY. Since then, the shark has pinged several times including on Jan. 26 and Feb. 6. A ping means the Smart Position and Temperature Transmitting tag attached to the fish's dorsal fin was spotted above the surface for a brief period as it swam, transmitting a near-live location signal to the OCEARCH shark tracker. Dunn-dunn... 'Jaws' returning to theaters for 50th anniversary: See when How much does the biggest great white tagged weigh? According to OCEARCH's shark tracker page, Contender weighs 1,653 pounds. How old is Contender, the great white shark? Contender is an adult male shark believed to be just over 30 years old. See live view of tagged sharks that are tracked: The visit comes at the time of year when great white sharks start migrating north to warmer waters for a larger food supply, according to the non-profit "Every ping helps us get one step closer to understanding and protecting these incredible animals," it wrote on Facebook. To track Contender and other sharks online, download the free OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker App, available on iOS, Android, and on desktop at Contributing: USA TODAY's Taylor Ardrey Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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