2,000-pound great white shark 'pings' near Myrtle Beach, officials say

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The second biggest white shark that has ever been tagged in the northwest Atlantic by Ocearch has pinged off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

>> Read more trending news

Officials said Unama'ki, a great white shark that weighs 2,076 pounds and is 15 feet, 5 inches long, was first tagged near Nova Scotia in September.

Since then, she has been heading south down the United States' East Coast. On Oct. 13, she pinged about 50 miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach.

She was also tracked at several different spots, including off the North Carolina coast, Virginia Beach and Atlantic City in New Jersey.

White shark Unama’ki is now up and pinging on our Tracker for everyone to follow! She was named by our partner @SeaWorld. Unama’ki is the indigenous Mi'kmaq name for the Cape Breton area and means “Land of the Fog.” Excited to see where she leads us! https://t.co/KLfYgygkY1 pic.twitter.com/Kvg6RayMoz
— OCEARCH (@OCEARCH) September 30, 2019

According to Ocearch's Shark Tracker, Unama'ki appears to have moved toward southern Florida, near the Florida Keys.

The name Unama'ki came from the indigenous Mi'kmaq people in Nova Scotia and means "land of the fog."

Officials at Ocearch said they believe Unama'ki could lead them to where she gives birth, which could reveal an undiscovered great white shark nursery.

Scientists said it's common for great white sharks to migrate south for the winter. Tracking data shows winter hot spots for sharks are waters off North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and the east coast of Florida.

TRENDING NOW: