COCOA BEACH, Fla. – A shark weighing over 500 pounds was pinged off the coast of Brevard County on Thursday morning, according to the OCEARCH Shark Tracker.
OCEARCH lists the shark as “Penny” — a great white shark that was first tagged back in April 2023 off the coast of North Carolina.
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According to OCEARCH, Penny was a juvenile at the time of tagging, spanning over 10 feet long.
“Penny is our 92nd white shark tagged in the Western North Atlantic and our 4th during Expedition Northbound. She is named after our friends at Salty Penny Canvas in Morehead City, (North Carolina). They have helped our team with custom marine canvas projects that provide a more comfortable experience on the water and allow us to operate in tougher conditions. We’re grateful for the Penny family for their support of our research and can’t wait to see what Penny the shark teaches us.”
OCEARCH, "About Penny"
Since then, Penny has traveled close to 9,000 miles and has been pinged several times off of Florida’s coast amid her annual migration pattern to the Gulf of Mexico.
Now, OCEARCH’s shark tracker shows that she’s set to make her return to the Gulf for the winter season.
As of 9:48 a.m. on Thursday, Penny was pinged several miles southeast from Cape Canaveral.
Penny’s not the only sea creature that OCEARCH is tracking, though.
In all, the organization has tagged over 400 different animals, including multiple different species of sharks, sea turtles and whales.
For more information on OCEARCH or to track Penny’s movements for yourself, head to the group’s website by clicking here.
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