10-foot Great White Shark swims 5,000 miles to SWFL

Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:
great white shark
Great white shark. CBS file photo

A 10-foot-long juvenile great white shark has made a pitstop off the coast of Southwest Florida on Monday afternoon.

According to Ocearch.org, a website that tracks various species of animals for research purposes, a great white shark named Penny pinged west of Boca Grande in the Gulf of Mexico.

Penny is a 10-foot-3-inch great white shark weighing approximately 520 pounds.

She was the 92nd great white tagged in the Western North Atlantic and first tagged on April 23, 2023.

The apex predator has swam nearly 5,000 miles in the 268 days since it has been tagged.

After initially getting tagged off the coast of North Carolina, the shark swam north through Nova Scotia before eventually meandering around Chaleur Bay off the coast of Canada back on Oct. 22, 2023.

The shark then started its long two-month and 24-day journey to Southwest Florida.

In the last month, Penny swam south from an area off the coast of Boynton Beach, past Miami all the way around the Florida Keys, ending up near Southwest Florida.

According to the World Wildlife Foundation, great white sharks can weigh up to 7,000 pounds and reach 20 feet in length.

They primarily feed on small fish like halibut. However, they’re also known to feast on large seals and even dolphins.

They are listed as a vulnerable species primarily because they are hunted for fins and teeth and are seen as a trophy for sports fishing.

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