A huge white shark, measuring more than 13 feet and weighs 1,500 pounds, has been tracked off the coast of South Carolina.
The shark, known as Breton, was tracked by the organization of ocean research Ocearch and was lying in wait at approximately 13 miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach on August 2.
Ocearch tags great white sharks to learn more about the species and its behavior: Tagged sharks “ping” the tracker when their dorsal fins approach the surface of the water, according to the organization.
Before this “Ping”, Breton had spent June and July off the coast of Florida. In this image, you can see the “times the shark has pinged”, and this is just the map that the organization makes known about the route of these fish:
Breton is part of the population of the North Atlantic great white shark that swims along the east coast of the United States and Canada. Sharks often migrate along the route, spending summers in the north and winters in the south.
However, Breton has stayed in the south for much longer than usual this year and, according to Ocearch, this is the most time one of their tagged great whites has ever spent in the south.
Ocearch said on Facebook that Breton is “something of an anomaly”.
“While the rest of our white sharks are in the northeastern United States or Atlantic Canada , Breton remains in the warm waters of the southeast of the country; this is the last time we have seen one of our great white sharks stay that far south in the north western Atlantic,” Ocearch said in his social media post.
“Usually we notice that Our great white sharks begin their northward migration from mid-May through June. How Breton is coping with the warm water temperatures or whether it has finally started its migratory journey north to Atlantic Canada are some of the questions our science team is currently asking. We will be closely watching Breton’s movements over the next few weeks”.
Most of the great white sharks tagged by Ocearch are currently found off the coast of Canada; in fact, the Breton “ping” in South Carolina may indicate that it is finally beginning its journey north for the winter.
South Carolina has recorded 107 unprovoked shark attacks since 1837, according to the Florida Museum’s shark attack archive. Ranked fourth in the state for the most recorded shark attacks.
However, shark attacks remain rare and, although Breton lurks close to shore, their presence poses little danger for humans.
The huge male shark was first tagged by the research group in September 2020. When Ocearch tags a shark, the researchers use a hydraulic platform to lift it out of the water, where they then attach a tracker to their bodies.
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