Great white shark tracked by researchers enjoys spending her winters in South Florida waters

A massive great white shark was spotted off the coast of Florida this week, according to OCEARCH’s Global Shark Tracker. 

The 11-foot 7 inches long, 1,264-pound great white shark, named Maple by researchers, was located on Monday 43 miles off the coast of St. George Island, Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. 

"Over the past two seasons Maple has spent much of her winter in the Gulf of Mexico,” said OCEARCH in a Facebook post.

White shark Maple pinged in this morning about 70km (43 miles) SE of St. George Island, Florida in the #GulfOfMexico. Over the past 2 seasons Maple has spent much of her winter in the Gulf of Mexico. Track her movements alongside our science team: https://t.co/6lWsh26EWA pic.twitter.com/eRJudlopJd

— OCEARCH (@OCEARCH) March 6, 2023

Maple is a sub-adult female shark that was tagged on September 14, 2021 and named after the maple leaf, one of Canada’s national emblems.

She has a large distinctive wound on the left side of her body, which the animal research team believes stemmed from a violent interaction with another larger shark. 

"It is not uncommon for sharks to show their dominance over a smaller animal of their species by delivering a significant but non-fatal bite."

Another great white shark, named Tancook, was also spotted near Jacksonville, Florida this week. Tancook, a male shark, weighs about 715 pounds and measures about 9 feet 9 inches long. He was first tagged 18 months ago off the coast of Nova Scotia. 

OCEARCH is a "global non-profit organization conducting unprecedented research on our ocean's giants in order to help scientists collect previously unattainable data in the ocean," according to its website. 

"Our mission is to accelerate the ocean's return to balance and abundance through fearless innovations in critical scientific research, education, outreach, and policy using unique collaborations of individuals and organizations in the U.S. and abroad."