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Great White Shark Travels Thousands of Miles
2 Feb
Summary
- A 12-foot great white shark named Ernst traveled from Canada to the Gulf.
- Ernst's journey included coastlines of multiple US states.
- Researchers are tracking Ernst's unusual westward movement.
A massive great white shark, identified as Ernst, has recently been tracked in the Gulf of Mexico, marking an unusual westward movement for the species. This 12-foot, approximately 1,000-pound female shark was tagged by OCEARCH in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, in October 2025.
Ernst's epic journey began after tagging, leading her thousands of miles along the U.S. East Coast, passing areas near Miami and the Florida Panhandle. Her recent pings off the coasts of Alabama and Mississippi, and near the Chandeleur Islands, are considered rare and fall outside typical great white shark migratory patterns.
Researchers noted that Ernst's proximity to shore in these areas suggests a healthy marine ecosystem with abundant life. As of Sunday, February 1, 2026, her tag pinged south of Horn Island off the Mississippi coast, continuing to provide valuable data on great white shark behavior and migration.
This remarkable tracking effort follows another report of a large great white shark, Contender, returning to Florida waters in January 2026 after a year-long Atlantic journey. Both sharks' movements offer insights into the species' complex life cycles and habitat preferences.
