A massive 1,653-pound great white shark, dubbed Contender, has been tracked off the Atlantic City coast by researchers from the Florida-based nonprofit Ocearch. This impressive specimen is estimated to be around 32 years old and stands at an astonishing 13.8 feet long, making it one of the largest male great whites ever recorded in the western North Atlantic Ocean.
Contender's journey is a testament to the incredible migration habits of these apex predators. The shark has been tracked traveling extensively across the region, including near the Outer Banks in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Quebec, Canada, before landing off the coast of Nova Scotia last year.
Despite great whites being considered not endangered in the Atlantic Ocean, their distribution varies greatly by region and season. Ocearch's data suggests a significant increase in numbers in the Northwest Atlantic since the 1990s, with Canadian waters playing a vital role as a summer feeding ground for the species.
Contender's movements offer valuable insights into the life of mature male great whites, including how they feed, interact with their environment, and contribute to population recovery. The Ocearch team uses transponder tags, which send signals when the sharks' dorsal fins break the surface, allowing researchers to track their location.
The organization has tagged over 400 sharks worldwide and provides a wealth of information on their habits and habitats. Contender is just one of many great whites that have been tracked off the New Jersey coast in recent years, with Mary Lee, a massive 16-foot female shark, being the most famous example.
Ocearch's data collection efforts are critical to understanding these incredible creatures and informing conservation efforts. The team uses a unique collaboration between science, innovation, and the public to fill knowledge gaps about great white shark habits. With Contender's tag providing valuable insights for the next five years, Ocearch continues its mission to protect these balance keepers of the ocean.
Contender's journey is a testament to the incredible migration habits of these apex predators. The shark has been tracked traveling extensively across the region, including near the Outer Banks in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Quebec, Canada, before landing off the coast of Nova Scotia last year.
Despite great whites being considered not endangered in the Atlantic Ocean, their distribution varies greatly by region and season. Ocearch's data suggests a significant increase in numbers in the Northwest Atlantic since the 1990s, with Canadian waters playing a vital role as a summer feeding ground for the species.
Contender's movements offer valuable insights into the life of mature male great whites, including how they feed, interact with their environment, and contribute to population recovery. The Ocearch team uses transponder tags, which send signals when the sharks' dorsal fins break the surface, allowing researchers to track their location.
The organization has tagged over 400 sharks worldwide and provides a wealth of information on their habits and habitats. Contender is just one of many great whites that have been tracked off the New Jersey coast in recent years, with Mary Lee, a massive 16-foot female shark, being the most famous example.
Ocearch's data collection efforts are critical to understanding these incredible creatures and informing conservation efforts. The team uses a unique collaboration between science, innovation, and the public to fill knowledge gaps about great white shark habits. With Contender's tag providing valuable insights for the next five years, Ocearch continues its mission to protect these balance keepers of the ocean.
a 1,653-pound great white shark is literally swimming off the coast of Atlantic City idk if its supposed to be good or bad news but like Contender is estimated to be around 32 yrs old lol that's older than me 
and it just keeps migrating across the region making researchers super curious about their habits and habitats 
I mean, they can travel thousands of miles and still be tracked with these fancy transponder tags. It's like they have their own built-in GPS system! 
And to think that Ocearch has tagged over 400 sharks already... that's a lot of data to work with. This research is really going to help us understand how great whites interact with their environment and feed, which could be super useful for conservation efforts. I'm all about learning more about our ocean and its inhabitants 
it's like they're saying "peace out, world" as they swim away from all those humans. seriously though 400+ tagged sharks is insane what Ocearch has done so far... and Contender's been on quite the ride 
from Outer Banks to Nova Scotia who knew?
I'm just thinking, if we wanna save our oceans and all the amazing creatures like Contender, we gotta get better at understanding their habits and habitats 
I'm also wondering if we could use some sort of standardized tracking system to make it easier for researchers like Ocearch 
. They're doing amazing work, and I think with more collaboration and tech, we can get even closer to understanding our oceans and the incredible creatures that call them home 
Contender's story is actually kinda cool - I love how they're tracking these guys and learning more about their habits. But at the same time, it's also a reminder of how much we don't know about our oceans and the creatures that live in them 
I mean, 32 years old is crazy for a shark! It's like it's defying all odds to be still around and thriving.
And it's amazing that Contender's movements are helping us learn more about these incredible animals. But can you imagine if we could see these guys in action, like, up close? That would be wild! 
I'm definitely stoked to see what other surprises Contender has up its fin 
i mean we're still learning so much about them and their habitats but i think its really important that people like ocearch are working hard to study them and protect the ocean 
... I'm all for conservation efforts, especially when it comes to protecting these apex predators. It's crazy to think they're still being targeted in our waters, we need to do more to ensure their populations recover 
. And the fact that Contender's movements are helping us understand how mature male great whites interact with their environment is just mind-blowing 
, providing valuable insights into the habits and habitats of great whites. It's awesome that they're working with science, innovation, and the public to make a difference in conservation.
. We need to keep protecting our oceans and these incredible animals that call them home. Can we get more people on board with this mission? 
. I love how Ocearch collaborates with science, innovation, and the public to learn more about great whites 
. It's like they're all in this together to protect our oceans and these incredible animals 
. Who knows what kind of cool facts we'll learn about this shark? Maybe it'll even give us some clues about how to keep our oceans healthy 
.
. It's crazy how these sharks migrate across such big distances, like they're exploring new territories 
. And the fact that they're still considered not endangered in some areas is really interesting... maybe there's something we can learn from their habits to help protect them better? 
knowing more about great whites helps us better understand how to protect these incredible creatures and their habitats 