"You're gonna need a bigger boat."

The great white is a female and known to researchers as Unama’ki. Her journey has been tracked by the nonprofit group OCEARCH since the great white was first spotted in 2019. OCEARCH hopes to follow the shark and learn more about her, as well as learn where more great whites live. 

Unama'ki means “land of the fog” in the indigenous language of the Mi'kmaq people of Nova Scotia. 

Unama'ki was “pinged” on November 4 near Key Largo, which is south of Miami. Pinging means that her dorsal fin broke the surface of the water, which sends a signal to a satellite and lets the team tracking her know where she is. She was first pinged in Novia Scotia in September, and her journey has been documented by OCEARCH on their social media pages and online. 

The great white shark has been on the move for over 100 days, traveling 13,374 miles so far. A large mature female, she weighs 2,076 pounds and stretches 15.5 feet long. The hope is that she will lead researchers to where she gives birth, exposing a new great white shark nursery.

OCEARCH tracks and monitors large marine animals, like the great white shark. About a month ago, the nonprofit tagged another large female great white shark, this one was 17 feet long and weighed 3,541 pounds.

Great white sharks can grow as large as 5,000 pounds and grow more than 20 feet long, according to National Geographic. A vulnerable species, great whites are one of the top predators of the oceans, as they play a vital role in the ecosystem and ensure its biodiversity.

Share your thoughts in the comments below.