Sharks swim more than 1000km to avoid mating

The pregnant giant white shark seems to have traveled a distance of more than 1,100km to avoid the males trying to mate.

Marine research organization OCEARCH installed a tracking device on Unama'ki, a 907kg female shark to track the journey to the coast, more than 1,126 km east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Unama'ki swam more than 1,000 km to avoid the male's attempt to mate. (Photo: OCEARCH).

This device will signal when the shark's dorsal fin is raised above the water.

More than a week ago, the device sent signals that the shark moved very fast north. Subsequent broadcasts showed that over the past few days, the animal was wandering in an area in the middle of the Atlantic.

In early April, Unama'ki left the east coast of the United States and began heading towards the ocean.

According to OCEARCH founder Chris Fischer, there are three reasons why Unama'ki swims away during pregnancy.

• First , it may be avoiding males that want to mate.
• Secondly , it may be using offshore temperatures conducive to pregnancy.
• Thirdly , it can exploit the food sources in this area during pregnancy.

OCERCH's team believes that Unama'ki could soon return to the waters off Nova Scotia, Canada if the data obtained for its behavior is accurate.