A 2,000-pound great white shark just took a pit stop near Miami.
In a journey already spanning 103 days, the shark has traveled 13,066 miles from the coast of Canada on a route that will eventually lead to the Gulf of Mexico. OCEARCH, a non-profit organization, has been tracking the shark’s journey since it was discovered on September 29, 2019. In an announcement on social media, the organization confirmed the shark’s spotting in Miami.
Researchers hope that the shark’s travels will lead to more discoveries of great white sharks. They are classified as a vulnerable population by the World Wildlife Fund, just one step away from endangered.
“As a big mature female, Unama’ki has the potential to lead us to the site where she gives birth and exposes a new white shark nursery,” OCEARCH said on its website.
Technically, the shark weighs 2,076 pounds.
The shark, first discovered in the Scatarie Island, is named Unama’ki, which means “land of the fog” to the indigenous people of Nova Scotia.
Measuring at 15 feet and 5 inches, the adult female is the second biggest white shark OCEARCH has tagged in the northwest Atlantic, CNN affiliate WSOC-TV reported.
Unama’ki has been traveling down the east coast from her initial spotting in Nova Scotia. In October 2019, she was spotted 50 miles outside of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and has since been seen off the coast of North Carolina, Virginia Beach and near the Atlantic City in New Jersey.
Her size also pales in comparison to other recently discovered sharks. Last month, researchers found another massive adult female white shark off Nova Scotia, weighing in at 3,541 pounds.
Unama’ki’s remaining journey can be tracked online.
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