3 Massive Sharks Are Swimming On Both Florida Coasts & Here's Where They're Being Tracked
They're all over 9 feet long! 🦈
A Shark caught by OCEARCH. Right: A shark fin in the water.
There are three large great white sharks being tracked on both sides of Florida, and their last marked locations have all been updated this week.
The non-profit organization OCEARCH (which specializes in expeditions for shark research) is tracking the animals. The ones currently flagged in the Florida area are Tancook, who is traveling on the east coast, whereas tagged sharks Rose and Maple are swimming along the Gulf Coast.
Tancook was originally tagged around Ironbound Island, Nova Scotia, but the juvenile male has made it all the way down towards the Florida-Georgia line where he was last pinged on March 7 at around 10:40 am. He is 9 feet, 9 inches, and 715 lbs.
On the west coast of the Sunshine State is Maple, who is swimming just along the curve of the panhandle. She was also tagged in Novia Scotia and her last ping was on March 6. The sub-adult female is a whopping 11 feet, 7 inches, and 1,264 lbs.
At the Southern tip of Florida, across from Cape Coral, is where Rose is hanging out. Her last ping was on March 9. While her fellow tagged sharks were found around Ironbound Island, she was first located around Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The female juvenile is 10 feet, 5 inches, and 600 lbs.
OCEARCH typically focuses on sharks but they also tag sea turtles. The organization is composed of a team of veterinary and research scientists, as well as skilled expedition leaders.
The organization's mission for tracking marine life is to learn about how these aquatic animals live in an effort to help work to restore the ocean's ecosystem.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.