Meet Contender: The Massive Great White Shark Off Jersey Shore

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"You're going to need a bigger boat." The iconic line from the movie Jaws, and just like it worked then, it may just work now. This is one BIG SHARK. In fact, the largest tagged male great white shark off the Jersey coast!

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The Great White Shark

The great white shark is a powerful, fast-moving ocean predator known for its size, sharp teeth, and incredible hunting abilities. Found in cool coastal waters worldwide, it utilizes its keen senses to track prey such as seals and fish. Although it has a fearsome reputation, it rarely targets humans and plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy marine ecosystem.

The shark in question off the Jersey Shore is named Contender, and OCEARCH says it was last tracked on Wednesday, November 12th, off the coast of Atlantic City. Contender had gone as far north as the Gulf of St. Lawrence off of Canada, east of Newfoundland. Then it headed south and was last seen visiting us here in New Jersey.

How Big Is Contender, the Great White Shark?

According to app.com, Contender is "13 feet, 9 inches and weighed 1,653 when it was tagged 45 miles offshore in waters between the border of Florida and Georgia on Jan. 17 of this year, during OCEARCH's field research this passed winter. OCEARCH calls Contender "the ultimate ocean warrior."

Let's put this in terms we can imagine. Imagine a fish as big as a full-size pickup truck, like a Ford F-150 or Chevy Silverado. Ya, that's a big shark.

To set the record straight, app.com added, "While Contender is the largest male great white shark tagged by OCEARCH, it is not the largest. Nukumi, a female great white, measured 17 feet, 2 inches and weighed 3,541 pounds when she was tagged. She last "pinged" when along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge halfway across the Atlantic Ocean on April 11, 2021."

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