Monstrous shark that made shark science history pings off Cape Cod; killer whale spotted with a tuna in its mouth
Monstrous shark that made shark science history pings off Cape Cod; killer whale spotted with a tuna in its mouth A giant white shark, nicknamed "LeeBeth," has made its way up to Massachusetts after being tagged off South Carolina in December. The 2,800-pound, 14-foot female shark, which made shark science history off Mexico, was tracked into the Gulf of Mexico with four tags attached to her. Since being tagged, LeeBeth has been on the move and has now traveled over 6,000 miles. She is tracked on the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s Sharktivity app and can be tracked on it. Other notable sightings included a rare sighting of a killer whale with a tuna in its mouth during a recent aerial survey.
Published : 10 months ago by Rick Sobey in Science
A giant white shark that made shark science history over the winter off Mexico has made her way up to Massachusetts, according to researchers.
The nearly 3,000-pound monstrous great white shark, nicknamed “LeeBeth” by scientists, pinged near Cape Cod on Tuesday.
The estimated 2,800-pound, 14-foot female shark was caught and tagged off South Carolina in December by Atlantic White Shark Conservancy staff scientist Megan Winton and Outcast Sport Fishing’s Chip Michalove.
They were able to attach four tags to the apex predator, including a satellite spot tag that people can follow on the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s Sharktivity app. Since the tagging, LeeBeth has been on the move and made shark science history when she pinged off the coast of Matamoros, Mexico — the furthest west a white shark has ever been tracked into the Gulf of Mexico.
LeeBeth has now migrated all the way to New England.
“She has now traveled over 6,000 miles since being tagged!” the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy posted. “Do you think she will stick around Cape Cod? Or will she continue her way further north into Canadian waters? You can track LeeBeth on Sharktivity.”
A killer whale was seen with a tuna in its mouth during a recent aerial survey.
Members of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s North Atlantic Right Whale team saw an array of sightings — a whopping 161 whales, comprising seven species, south of Martha’s Vineyard and southeast of Nantucket.
Highlights included seeing 93 sei whales, one of the highest concentrations of sei whales they’d ever seen during a single survey flight.
“Another highlight was two killer whales, which they don’t often see during this survey,” NOAA Fisheries New England/Mid-Atlantic posted. “More incredible—one of the killer whales had a tuna in its mouth!”
A well-known orca was recently spotted off the Cape, according to researchers. The orca nicknamed “Old Thom” was back along Chatham earlier this month. The researchers say they know it was him from his very distinct dorsal fin.
During the recent NOAA aerial survey, they also saw 36 humpbacks, 21 fin whales, as well as minke, sperm, and North Atlantic right whales.
A group of five basking sharks was seen off Newport, R.I., Wednesday morning.
“If you’re lucky enough to see one please be a #citizenscientist and let me know about it,” posted shark researcher John Chisholm. “Also be sure to checkout my ID guide. Baskos are the species most often mistaken for white sharks.”
Topics: Wildlife, Killer Whales