2,076-pound great white shark is swimming the East Coast
By Hannah Sparks, New York Post , October 28, 2019
Unama'ki, a 2,076-pound great white shark, was tagged by researchers in September. ocearch.org
There’s a monster of a shark swimming down the East Coast.
The hefty predator — a female great white — is 15-feet, 5-inches-long and weighs a whopping 2,076 pounds.
Her name is Unama’ki, an indigenous Nova Scotian term meaning “land of the fog.” She was originally discovered and tagged on the East Coast of Canada in September by the nonprofit OCEARCH, in collaboration with SeaWorld researchers.
On Oct. 12, Unama’ki was traced to Myrtle Beach, S.C. By Saturday, she made an appearance in the Florida Keys, CNN reported.
Unama’ki is considered the second-biggest they’ve ever tracked, according to WSOC-TV.
“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,” OCEARCH said in a statement.
The public can track her ongoing movements using the agency’s “Unama’ki Travel Log.”
“Shark activity is at its peak in Florida waters during April through October,” The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) write on their website, adding that sharks also play an important role “maintaining balance” within their state’s aquatic ecosystems.
But don’t expecting any “Jaws” carnage.
The commission assures the public that sharks are not to be feared: According to the FWC, humans are “30 times more likely to be struck by lightning in Florida than to be bitten by a shark.”
Still, just a few days ago a woman in Polynesia lost both of her hands to a hungry shark. Three other not life-threatening shark bites occurred in Florida this past August. And earlier this summer, one woman vacationing in the Bahamas lost her life while snorkeling with her family to a gang of three sharks.
The FWC urges coastal tourists “to become more aware of sharks and more educated about sharks and related issues.”
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