'Ocean killer' weighing nearly half a ton was discovered while migrating

On April 28, marine conservationists spotted a 453-kilogram male great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) emerging off the coast of New Jersey and following ocean currents further north. north.

Great white shark known as "Ocean killer"

Nicknamed "Ironbound", this shark was discovered in 2019 when it was feeding near West Ironbound Island near Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (Canada). Based on satellite images, the shark is about 3.7 meters long. Its size is quite modest compared to an adult great white. According to records, this species can be up to 5 meters long and weigh 1,800 kg.

"The mating season is over and Ironbound is on its way north looking for a good foraging and breeding ground for next year," said Bob Hueter, principal scientist at the nonprofit Ocearch. .

Previously, Ocearch had publicly tagged and tracked great white sharks to better understand their elusive migratory behavior. A harmless device, called a SPOT tag, will be attached by the scientists to the fish's dorsal fin. From there, its position will be transferred to the Global Positioning Satellite System (GPS).

To date, Ironbound is said to have traveled an estimated 20,921 kilometers since it was first tagged. Most recently, it was discovered on May 3, according to Ocarch data, when this adult male was already in Atlantic waters.

Ironbound tagged by nonprofit organization Ocarch in 2019

Great white sharks are famous for their appearances in hit movies like "Jaws" (1975) or Sharknado (2013) along with the behavior of a cold and dangerous predator.

However this doesn't seem to be all about them. According to Laura Ryan, a postdoctoral researcher at Macquarie University in Australia, great white sharks actually rarely choose humans as their 'meal', unless they are very hungry or misunderstand that humans are a threat. dangerous. "White sharks are often described as 'heartless killers' and 'cannibals. However, this doesn't seem to be the case,'" Laura said.

One feature of great white sharks that is very attractive to marine biologists is that they frequently migrate to find food and breed. This causes them to occur in virtually every temperate and tropical sea worldwide; from America, Australia, South Africa to the Indian Ocean.

According to a 2018 assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the great white shark is a species that is vulnerable to extinction and whose numbers are declining, mainly due to anthropogenic threats such as overfishing. level.