2,000-pound, 15-foot great white shark pings closer to Florida shore, possibly to give birth
(Daniel Botelho / Barcroft Media / Barcroft Media / Getty Images)
DESTIN, Fla. - She's back!
Unama’ki, a 15-foot great white shark weighing over 2,000 pounds, has pinged about 60 miles off the shores of Northwest Florida, according to OCEARCH.
"Look where Unama’ki is! We don’t usually get white shark pings this far northeast in the Gulf of Mexico," OCEARCH wrote on Facebook in an update on Feb. 15. "Unama’ki is the biggest white shark currently pinging on the Tracker."
On Feb. 1, Unama’ki pinged about 100 miles away from Panama City Beach. She has since moved closer to shore, according OCEARCH, presumably to give birth.
"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."
On Tuesday, OCEARCH said that it looked as if Unama’ki is exploring the DeSoto Canyon in the Gulf of Mexico, which is an underwater feature full of life.
"She has a special secondary tag called a PSAT that will pop off in a few months and send us data about water depth. We’ll be looking to see if she is making deep dives into the canyon."
RELATED: Four great white sharks pinged off the coast of Florida
Researchers say Unama’ki weighs 2,076 pounds and measures 15-feet, 5-inches long.
Unama’ki has traveled over 2,800 miles since being tagged in Nova Scotia on Sept. 20, 2019. She is one of the 11 great white sharks that OCEARCH is currently tracking.
Two other great whites have pinged in the Gulf of Mexico recently: Brunswick, a male shark measuring 8-feet, 9-inches long and Nova, measuring 11-feet, 6-inches and weighing over 1,000 pounds.