The largest great white shark ever seen in the Atlantic has surfaced again, and this time he’s at a popular tourist destination.
The Jaws theme is already playing. Introducing Contender, a massive 14-foot great white shark weighing 1,653 pounds. Scientists believe he is approximately 30 years old.
In January, OCEARCH, a nonprofit that studies huge marine creatures to assist manage marine ecosystems and guide conservation efforts to help save vital habitats, tagged him in the North Atlantic.
But before then, Contender’s whereabouts are largely unknown because he disappeared for almost a month.
However, the shark has subsequently made a spectacular comeback on June 7 and has undoubtedly been active in recent months
Where is Contender now?
About 45 miles from Jacksonville, in January, scientists saw Contender swimming along the Florida-Georgia coastline.
Who knows what he was doing at the John F. Kennedy Space Centre, where he was also discovered by later pings?
He has subsequently made a complete U-turn, though, and is travelling north to North Carolina’s Pamlico Sound.
The main reason sharks migrate around the ocean is to discover new food sources, thus it is assumed that this is the reason he made the transition.
Dr. Harley Newton, OCEARCH’s chief scientist and veterinarian based in Florida, said: “This time of year white sharks are starting their late spring/early summer migration (16 May to 30 June) moving from their southern overwintering area to their summer/fall foraging areas in the northeastern US and Atlantic Canada.”
