She’s back! A 10-foot, 3-inch great white shark known to overwinter around Florida has returned to Sunshine State waters.
The shark, nicknamed Penny by the OCEARCH scientists who tagged it, pinged off Amelia Island at 9:24 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3.
A ping means the satellite tag attached to the animal’s dorsal fin broke the water’s surface and transmitted location information to its tracker.
According to its tracker, the shark started its journey south on Oct. 6, leaving the Gulf of Lawrence near the Canadian province of New Brunswick for the North Atlantic Ocean and heading south, surfacing just south of the Florida State line off Amelia Island this week.
Penny pinged frequently around Florida last winter and spring during the animal’s first known trip to the Sunshine State since being tagged by OCEARCH in April 2023.
In 2024, Penny the juvenile great white shark:
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pinged off Sarasota‘s coast on Jan. 11, 2024
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pinged off the coast of Amelia Island near Fernandina Beach on April 17, 2024, after leaving the Gulf of Mexico before heading up North
Penny’s Dec. 3, 2024, ping is the first in Florida as North Atlantic great white sharks migrate south to spend winter in warmer waters with more abundant food sources, including around Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.
Here’s what to know about Penny, the nonprofit group OCEARCH and great white sharks in Florida.
Penny, a female white shark, was 10 feet, 3 inches long and weighed 522 pounds when she was tagged off Ocracoke, North Carolina, in April 2023.
What to know about white shark Penny
Penny, a female juvenile great white shark, measured 10 feet 3 inches and weighed 522 pounds when it was tagged on April 23, 2023, off Ocracoke, North Carolina.
As of Dec. 6, 2024, the shark has traveled 8,898 miles since then.
Penny was the 92nd white shark tagged by OCEARCH in the Western North Atlantic and named after the group’s friends at Salty Penny Canvas in Morehead City, North Carolina.
How many sharks has OCEARCH tagged?
As of Nov. 20, 2024, according to the OCEARCH shark tracker, the group has tagged 373 sharks, with great white sharks leading the pack:
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3 great hammerhead sharks
The group has also tagged alligators, dolphins, seals, swordfish and turtles.
What does OCEARCH do for great white sharks?
OCEARCH is a nonprofit research organization studying the ocean’s giants.
The group studies keystone species, including great white sharks, essential for the health of the oceans.
“At OCEARCH, we’re on a mission to solve the Global White Shark Puzzle. There are nine populations of white sharks across the globe and OCEARCH’s goal is to assist regional scientists to better understand the life of the white shark in each of these populations,” the group’s website states.
During the expeditions, researchers collected previously unattainable data on the animals’ migrations, reproductive cycle, genetic status, diet, abundance, and more.
“If we lose the apex predator (sharks) then we lose all our fish and then there are no fish sandwiches for our grandchildren,” OCEARCH founder Chris Fischer told the Courier Journal. “That’s oversimplified, of course, but the idea is important because many shark species are threatened by overfishing and a demand for shark fins in Asia. Their dwindling numbers jeopardize ocean habitats.”
Great white shark facts
Here are some things to know about white sharks, according to NOAA Fisheries:
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White sharks grow slowly. Males mature at around 26 years old and females at around 33 years old. Life expectancy is difficult to determine but is estimated to be between 30 and 70 years.
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White sharks are about 4 feet long at birth but can grow up to about 20 feet long and weigh over 4,000 pounds.
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White shark eat an opportunistic diet of fish, invertebrates and marine mammals.
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White sharks are partially warm-blooded and can maintain their internal body temperature above that of the surrounding water. This allows them to be more active in cooler waters than cold-blooded species.
Great white sharks in Florida
Great white sharks migrate south when the water gets cold and food sources become scarce up north, according to OCEARCH chief scientist Dr. Bob Hueter.
Think of them as the snowbirds of sharks.
Most of them tend to stay away from the beaches in continental shelf waters, Hueter said.
5 shark attacks in Florida in summer 2024
Florida has seen several shark bites this summer:
There were 69 documented unprovoked shark attacks around the globe in 2023, according to International Shark Attack File. The U.S. led the world with 36 attacks and Florida again was the state with the most bites at 16, none of which were fatal. A great white shark has not been identified in a Florida shark bite since 1926.
Florida shark attacks in 2023:
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Florida: 16 bites, none fatal
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Hawaii: 8 bites, 1 fatal
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New York: 4 bites, none fatal
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California: 2 bites, 1 fatal
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North Carolina: 3 bites, none fatal
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South Carolina: 2 bites, none fatal
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New Jersey: 1 bite, none fatal
While the U.S. has the most attacks, South Africa has the most shark-related fatalities.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 10-ft great white shark ‘Penny’ back in Florida, OCEARCH tracker shows
