One of the world’s biggest great white sharks found near Canadian coast. All you need to know about Contender

A great white shark was recently spotted in a northern area off the Atlantic Ocean. But the creature's size is not the only surprising feature. The location of the huge apex predator has also bemused scientists.

OCEARCH, a non-profit organization that conducts research on large marine animals, announced on Instagram that it had tracked Contender, a nearly 14-foot-long male great white shark, off the coast of Canada. The organization, which is famous for its shark tracking site, stated that it received “a rare ping from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a region where we don't often see signals from Ocearch-tagged sharks”.

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Traveling from the shores of Massachusetts

According to John Tyminski, a senior data scientist for OCEARCH, Contender traveled 857 miles from the shores of Massachusetts to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. According to his calculation, the shark traveled “on average, 12 miles per day,” People magazine reported.

Chris Fischer, founder and expedition leader of OCEARCH, said, as reported by the New York Post, “Only a couple have made it that far north. An animal like that, spending the summer and fall up north – what are they doing? Well, a lot of what they’re doing is preparing for the winter.”

The New York Post article further stated that the shark's tracker just transmits a locating signal when the shark’s dorsal fin is briefly exposed above the surface of the water.

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Contender’s previous spotting

Contender made headlines earlier this year in January. When OCEARCH first spotted him, they declared that the creature was 13 feet, 8 inches long and weighed 1,652.8 lbs. At that time, OCEARCH claimed that the “SPOT tag deployed on Contender will provide valuable real-time data for approximately five years, helping us track his movements and understand his migration patterns.”

In January, People magazine reported that the great white shark became the largest of its kind to be tagged and studied by researchers.

FAQs

What is the size of Contender?

Contender is estimated to be nearly 14 feet long.

Where was it recently located?

It was recently found in a northern area off the Atlantic Ocean.

When was Contender previously in the headlines?

Contender had previously made the headlines earlier this year in January.