Great white shark jumping in water — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Sergey Uryadnikov
This week, just before spring breakers are predicted to arrive in droves, a massive great white shark pounded the Florida coast.
The shark with the name Maple was detected Monday morning by OCEARCH’s Global Shark Tracker southeast of St. George Island, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico.
According to OCEARCH, Maple was 11 feet, 7 inches long, and weighed 1,264 pounds.
“Over the past two seasons, Maple has spent much of her winter in the Gulf of Mexico,” OCEARCH wrote on its Facebook page.
According to the website of the organization, Maple was given its name after the maple leaf, one of Canada’s national symbols. A unique wound can be seen on the left side of the enormous great white’s body.
The research team said they believe Maple got the wound from a “recent interaction with another larger white shark.”
“It is not uncommon for sharks to show their dominance over a smaller animal of their species by delivering a significant but non-fatal bite,” the website read.
OCEARCH is a global non-profit organization that conducts “research on our ocean’s giants in order to help scientists collect previously unattainable data in the ocean.”
“Our mission is to accelerate the ocean’s return to balance and abundance through fearless innovations in critical scientific research, education, outreach, and police using unique collaborations of individuals and organizations in the U.S. and abroad.”
The Global Shark Tracker is available here for anyone who wants to monitor the movements of great white sharks or keep up with Maple’s whereabouts.
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Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
