Earlier this year, the Atlantic Ocean’s largest great white shark on record was spotted along Florida’s coast. The 14-foot adult male, named Contender, was initially tagged on January 17th by non-profit research group OCEARCH, just 45 miles offshore from Jacksonville.
He was believed to be swimming around the region until disappearing from trackers for almost a month. But according to new reports, he has resurfaced near North Carolina’s Pamlico Sound, with his latest “ping” being made on June 7th just before 5 p.m.!
The sighting was announced on social media channels, with a post reading:
“This apex predator is making moves along the Atlantic coast, giving us more valuable data on the lives of white sharks in the Northwest Atlantic. Every ping helps us get one step closer to understanding and protecting these incredible animals.”
His movement aligns with migratory patterns during the warmer months, in which sharks head north in search of cooler waters and a larger food supply, according to the non-profit.
As the largest male white shark on record — they usually grow to be 11-and 13-foot-long — Contender is estimated to be around 30 years old and weighs 1,653 pounds. He was named after Contender Boats, whose fleet of sport fishing and pleasure boats enable the non-profit’s research missions.
How to track the largest Great White ever recorded in the Atlantic
As for where he’s headed to next, you can follow Contender’s journey on the official OCEARCH tracker. You can also see the location of other tagged sharks, turtles, dolphins and seals near our waters.
The tracker, which involved attaching a SPOT tag to Contender’s dorsal fin, transmits real-time data whenever he surfaces. This data not only allows researchers keep an eye on sharks, but understand their migration patterns and protect the ocean’s ecosystem.