The sharked pinged in Fort Myers Beach on Sunday, March 17
Shark expert describes migration patterns of great whites
Capt. Chip Michalove, a shark catcher and tagger, explains why great white sharks are on the move from southern waters. Despite an enormous interest in the sharks, researchers know little about where they mate.
A 10-foot great white shark, named Penny, was captured lurking the waters off the coast of Florida.
According to ocean research organization OCEARCH, Penny was tracked off the coast of Fort Myers Beach at about 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 17.
The 10 foot 3 inch great white shark first pinged off the coast of Boynton Beach, Florida in Dec. 2023. She later made her way further southwest into the Florida Keys and then into the Gulf of Mexico.
The 522-pound female shark lurked into the Sunshine State on Feb. 4 in the Florida Keys area, before circling up to waters off Sanibel Island, where it last pinged on March 17.
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A great white shark swims in the waters off of California. (Photo by Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
Nearly a year ago, Penny became OCEARCH's 92nd white shark tagged in western North America.
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She was named after residents of the Salty Penny Canvas in North Carolina, who helped OCEARCH with custom marine canvas projects that provide a comfortable experience on the water and allow them to operate in tougher conditions.
A flag with a shark warning flies as beachgoers depart July 26, 2023, at Nauset Beach in Orleans, Massachusetts. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
Capt. Chip Michalove, the owner of Outcast Sport Fishing in South Carolina, told Fox News Digital that many great white sharks typically leave the waters in the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern U.S. to travel further north as far as Nova Scotia this time of year.
"It's moving days," he said. "Their diet is going to completely change. They're going to go from chasing turtles and dolphins to now they're going to start looking for seals."
Fox News has reached out to OCEARCH for comment.
Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
She is a native of Massachusetts and is based in Orlando, Florida.
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