A mammoth 13-foot, 1,400-pound great white shark, tagged and sampled by the non-profit research group OCEARCH, pinged in Florida waters on Dec. 9.
The adult female shark, named “Goodall,” arrived in Florida waters on Dec. 8, as evidenced by a ping from her satellite tag off the Georgia-Florida border. Goodall capped off the day by heading south to Amelia Island where she pinged at 6:39 p.m.
On Dec. 9, the shark headed south and pinged off Jacksonville’s Atlantic Beach at 7:26 a.m., then back to Amelia Island waters, pinging far offshore at 7:44 p.m.
A ping means the satellite tag affixed to Goodall’s dorsal fin moved above water long enough to send location information to the OCEARCH tracker.
What to know about great white shark Goodall, tracked by OCEARCH
Goodall is an adult female great white shark, 13 feet, 1 inch long, and weighing 1,393 pounds.
The shark was tagged and released on Sept. 30, 2025, by the Tancook Islands Marine Field Station Team in collaboration with OCEARCH in Mahone Bay off the Nova Scotia coast.
Goodall has traveled 2,151 miles since then.
According to Goodall’s tracker page, she was named “in honor of Dr. Jane Goodall, one of the world’s most influential pioneers in wildlife conservation. Dr. Goodall set a global standard for scientific investigation, dedicating her life to understanding animal behavior in the wild and inspiring generations of researchers and conservationists.”
“Goodall carries forward a legacy of curiosity, resilience, and dedication to protecting the natural world — an enduring symbol of the power of science to inspire change.”
Great white shark length, weight. How big do they get?
White sharks are about four feet long when they’re born. They can grow to about 20 feet in length and can weigh over 4,000 pounds, according to NOAA Fisheries.
Are great white sharks in Florida?
Yes. Great white sharks migrate south in the fall, mostly along the U.S. East Coast and as far down as Florida and the Gulf.
What time of year are great white sharks in Florida?
According to OCEARCH, white sharks begin a seasonal migration in the fall, from their summer feeding grounds around Atlantic Canada and New England and travel as far south as Florida and the Gulf, presumably for warmer waters and abundant food sources.
How many great white sharks are in Florida?
The white shark population in U.S. waters is unknown and no stock assessments are currently planned in the Atlantic, per NOAA Fisheries, though the agency has conducted research indicating the white shark population appears to be increasing.
There’s no absolute data on the global population of white sharks and estimates vary widely – from 3,000 to over 10,000.
OCEARCH shark tracker: Follow great white sharks in Florida, beyond
North Atlantic great white sharks migrate as far south as Florida and the Gulf in winter, searching for warmer waters and more food sources.
OCEARCH is “a global nonprofit organization conducting unprecedented research on our oceans’ giants in order to help scientists collect previously unattainable data in the ocean,” according to the group’s website
OCEARCH has tagged 140 white sharks, many of them along the Eastern Seaboard and Nova Scotia.
You can follow their journeys on the OCEARCH shark tracker website or by downloading the OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker app.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Massive 1,400-pound great white shark pings off Florida. Here’s where
Reporting by Kim Luciani, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
