Katharine, the great white shark, is returning to Florida and is possibly pregnant.
In case that is true, Katharine is expected to give birth to about four to 14 pups, and each would measure approximately 4.5 feet in length.
"They come out, and they're on their own," says Chris Fischer, the founder of the shark-tracking group OCEARCH.
A satellite transmitter has been attached to Katharine's dorsal fin way back in 2013, when OCEARCH first captured her off Cape Cod in southeastern Massachusetts. In the latest ping detected on May 29, the shark was near the Florida-Georgia border. Then at around 7:01 a.m., she was in the middle of Daytona Beach and Palm Coast.
The Mystery Of Katharine's Route Of Journey
Fischer explains that during the first two years of monitoring, Katharine looked like an immature animal, measuring only 14 feet and 2 inches and weighing 2,300 pounds.
Just last year, she did not return to Cape Cod; experts are considering that maybe she is growing into a mature shark and that she could be pregnant.
At this time, Fischer is not yet sure where Katharine is, but adds that it would be interesting to see her return to Cape Cod during the fall, which would signal the repeat of the migratory cycle. Such cycle lasts for two years and has been observed in mature females across the world.
Katharine's Pings
In 2014, Katharine migrated past Florida Keys to the Gulf of Mexico, which made her the first Atlantic great white shark to do so. She also returned to suspected breeding ground, Cape Cod, early this year.
In 2015, however, Katharine did not return to where OCEARCH first found her. Instead, satellite transmitters revealed that the shark, which has a gestation period of 18 months, stayed in the offshore waters near the Canadian province Nova Scotia.
In the middle of March this year, Katharine's transmitter pinged once again, this time in the offshore area east of Norfolk-Virginia Beach. By mid-April, she was detected in South Carolina.
All in all, Katharine has traveled some 28,814 miles since she was first installed with a satellite transmitter three years ago.
Tagging For Sharks' Welfare
Tagging Katharine's journey provides valuable insights that can help experts ensure the survival of her kind.
Fischer says discovering the areas where the species give birth is important because scientists need to go to that place to provide care to newborns, which are very vulnerable.
