Mary Lee, a great white shark cruising the waters off the East Coast of the United States, has become a hit on the microblogging site Twitter. One person has even created a fake account for the creature, found at @MaryLeeShark, which has already attracted more than 57,000 followers.
Twitter replies sent in Mary Lee's name have been entertaining and humorous, driving more people to sign up for updates from the account. During one exchange, Mary Lee, who weighs almost 3,500 pounds, responded to a follower that people seem to swim faster when they see her.
Terra Purdy on Twitter asked the shark if she had any plans to watch Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, a made-for TV movie, set to premiere on Syfy on July 22.
I think I might have to wash my dorsal fin. Too bad. -:() https://t.co/HUKiKeIKU8
— Mary Lee the shark (@MaryLeeShark) May 18, 2015
Ocearch, a group working to protect sharks, tracks Mary Lee, as well as hundreds of other sharks. However, it says it's not responsible for the Twitter profile in the shark's name. However, the frenzy generated on social media is bringing welcome attention to the organization and it hopes such activities help to raise public awareness of the lives of great white sharks.
Mary Lee is being tracked through pings from an electronic device attached to her body. Each time she comes to the surface, another ping is received by the Ocearch system. The sizable fish has traveled as far south as the northern border of Florida, and as far east as Bermuda.
"We are not only solving the puzzle of her life to protect her, but we are giving her a voice to shift the tone of the conversation around her and other white sharks like her," Chris Fischer, expedition leader with Ocearch, stated. It was Fisher who named the shark Mary Lee, after his mother.
When the Associated Press sent a message to Mary Lee's account, a reply stated the person managing the Twitter handle is an East Coast newspaper reporter who refused to be identified.
Great whites attack more humans than any other species of the carnivorous fish. However, the total number of attacks by the fish on humans is extremely small. From 1916 to 2011, there were just 106 cases of such encounters in the United States, resulting in 13 fatalities.
The 1975 movie Jaws was centered on the story of a massive great white shark that terrorized a Massachusetts town, devouring any swimmers who dared to go in the water.
Great white sharks are being seen more often in Atlantic waters near New England as seal populations have increased in the region. Many mysteries remain about the lifestyle and habits of great white sharks, which are notoriously difficult to track using GPS technology.
