Largest recorded great white shark spotted off North Carolina coast

Contender, the largest great white shark recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, was recently tracked off the coast of North Carolina near the Outer Banks, which is a popular vacation destination. 

According to OCEARCH, Contender is 13.8 feet long and is estimated to weigh roughly 1,652 pounds. Fox Weather reported that Contender is the largest male great white shark to be recorded by OCEARCH in the Atlantic Ocean.

OCEARCH’s website describes the great white shark as the “ultimate ocean warrior.” According to the organization, the huge male great white shark was tagged by researchers on January 17 off the coast of Florida and Georgia.

“Contender is a mature male now contributing to OCEARCH’s mission of shark research and ocean conservation,” OCEARCH’s website states. “The SPOT tag deployed on Contender will provide valuable real-time data for approximately five years, helping us track his movements and understand his migration patterns. Additionally, we’ve collected important biological samples, including urogenital material, which are currently being analyzed.”

Fox Weather reported that Contender’s location has been tracked by OCEARCH researchers since the great white shark was tagged in January. The outlet noted that the great white shark’s tracker shows that Contender has been swimming back and forth across the eastern coast of the United States over the past several months.

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In a statement obtained by The New York Post, OCEARCH’s chief scientist and veterinarian, Dr. Harley Newton, outlined the typical movements of great white sharks.

“This time of year white sharks are starting their late spring/early summer migration (May 16 to June 30) moving from their southern overwintering area to their summer/fall foraging areas in the northeastern US and Atlantic Canada,” Newton said.

“We often see the sharks on our global shark tracker spend a period of time off the Outer Banks right before they move north, which is what white shark Contender appears to be doing,” Newton added. “This may be due to rich food resources in the region and would serve as a time to feed and prepare before what may be a journey of 1,000 miles or more.”

OCEARCH’s website explains that OCEARCH is a “global non-profit organization conducting unprecedented research on our oceans’ giants in order to help scientists collect previously unattainable data in the ocean.” The nonprofit organization’s 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.”