This is Scot, a 1,600 pound great white shark currently swimming around Florida's Gulf Coast. According to marine research group OCEARCH, Scot is more than 12-feet-long. They first found and tagged Scot last year in Nova Scotia and have followed his nearly 4,000 mile journey south. You can follow Scot's continuing journey via OCEARCH's online tracker! From CNN:
Although iconic films like "Jaws" have portrayed sharks as dangerous predators, attacks in Florida are actually very rare, the commission said. Humans are 30 times more likely to be struck by lightning in the state than to be bitten by a shark, and fewer than 10 people die from shark attacks each year, they said.
Both OCEARCH and the commission emphasize the great white shark's crucial role as the apex predator in its ecosystem.
"Great white sharks are central to the functioning of ecosystems and the maintenance of biodiversity," says OCEARCH.
