11-foot, 1,200-pound great white shark pings off Florida coast ahead of spring break
Spring breakers are ready to descend on the Sunshine state en masse but they are not alone. A research team has been tracking great whites in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
Watch: Sharks in a feeding frenzy in Gulf of Mexico
A man and his girlfriend came upon a shark feeding frenzy 15 miles off the Louisiana coast. Listen to the sharks bang the side of the boat as they surround the fishing vessel. The chaos when on for minutes.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A massive great white shark pinged off the coast of Florida this week ahead of what is expected to be a very busy spring break at the beaches.
According to OCEARCH's Global Shark Tracker, great white shark Maple pinged on Monday morning southeast of St. George Island, Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. Maple measures 11-feet, 7 inches long and weighs in at 1,264 pounds.
Maple was named after the maple leaf, one of Canada’s national emblems. The organization said Maple has a distinctive wound on the left side of her body, which the team believes is from an interaction with another larger white shark.
SHARK-TRACKING APP LETS YOU SPY ON THIS 1,000-POUND GREAT WHITE FROM THE SAFETY OF SHORE
"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."
Another great white on Atlantic beach
Meanwhile, great white shark Tancook pinged several miles east of Amelia Island near Jacksonville on Tuesday just after 9:30 a.m. The shark measures 9 feet, 9 inches long and weighs in around 715 pounds!
Tancook – which means "facing the open sea" – was named after the OCEARCH team met him off West Ironbound Island just south of Tancook Island, where he was first tagged in 2021.
VIDEO: MAKO SHARK JUMPS INTO FISHING BOAT IN MAINE
Watch: Diver comes face-to-face with a great white shark in South Africa
Shot from the diver’s point of view, the video shows a shark swimming through the faded blue-green water – and straight toward the camera. (Courtesy: @WhiteSharkOcean via Storyful)
"We’re looking forward to Tancook teaching us more about the open sea as we follow along with his movements!" OCEARCH said.
According to its website, OCEARCH is a "global non-profit organization conducting unprecedented 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 policy using unique collaborations of individuals and organizations in the U.S. and abroad."
FILE – An adult white shark
( Prisma Bildagentur/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)