2 10-Foot Great White Shark Traveling Companions Seen Feasting in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Two great white sharks have been recorded through OCEARCH’s shark tracking program in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Anne Bonny and Simon are two great whites that are part of OCEARCH’s program. They have had their trackers ping recently in areas close to one another. On September 21, Anne Bonny’s tracker reported her swimming in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Her exact location was east off the coast of Cape Breton Island. Only a few hours prior, near midnight on the day prior, Simon had also been recorded in the area. His tracker showed his location across the gulf, off the coast of Cap-des-Rosiers.

Are Great White Sharks Social?

While it may come as a surprise, great white sharks are actually social animals. In recent history, scientists have been able to understand how certain shark species interact within themselves, such as schooling hammerheads. However, the social lives of great whites have been a bit of a mystery. 

Scientists have observed great white sharks having preferred companions. They will often frequent the same sites with the same individual over and over. When great whites flock to certain areas, such as Cape Cod, they have also been shown to learn from each other’s hunts. While they may not work cooperatively to secure meals, they do recognize behavior from one another. They can then use that to improve their success rates.

About Anne Bonny

Anne Bonny was first tagged by OCEARCH’s team on April 21, 2023, off the coast of Ocracoke, North Carolina. A juvenile at the time, she measured 9 feet, 3 inches, and she weighed 425 pounds. She was named for the infamous 18th-century pirate of the same name that roamed the waters near where the shark was tagged.

Prior to her arrival in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in recent days, Anne Bonny has swam through much of the western North Atlantic Ocean, swimming along the North American coast. After leaving North Carolina, she spent several days in the Gulf of Maine.

About Simon

At the time of tagging, Simon was a juvenile great white shark measuring 9 feet and 6 inches, and he weighed around 434 pounds. He was first tagged by OCEARCH’s team on December 4, 2022, off the coast of St. Simon’s Island, for which he is named. Simon is the 86th great white shark to be tagged during the Western North Atlantic White Shark study conducted by OCEARCH.

Prior to swimming north to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Simon spent time off the coast of Maine, North Carolina, and Georgia.