1,000-pound, 11-foot great white shark ‘Maple’ pings off Florida coast

By Katie Sivco

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    SAINT GEORGE ISLAND, Florida (WESH) — Great white shark Maple was pinged Monday morning about 43 miles southeast of St. George Island, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, according to tracking data from OCEARCH, a nonprofit organization that tracks marine life.

Maple, who is named after Canada’s national symbol, has spent much of her winter in the Gulf of Mexico over the past two seasons, according to OCEARCH.

The organization’s research vessel, MV OCEARCH, has been tracking the 11-foot-7-inch-long female shark since she was tagged off the coast of Nova Scotia in 2021. Maple is one of the many white sharks being tracked by the organization to better understand their behavior and movement patterns.

The 1,264-pound shark was also noted for a distinctive wound on the left side of her body, likely caused by an encounter with a larger white shark. According to the research team’s initial assessment, Maple’s wound was likely the result of dominance behavior, a common occurrence in the animal kingdom. Dominance behavior can involve a non-fatal bite from a larger animal of the same species as a way of asserting dominance over a smaller counterpart.

White sharks are known for their long-distance migrations, and Maple’s presence in the Gulf of Mexico is not uncommon. The warm waters and abundant prey make it an attractive wintering ground for the species.

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