See The Great White Sharks Recently Spotted Off The Coast of Florida

Ironbound, a gigantic 1,100-pound great white shark, has been spotted off the Florida coastline. The shark weighs about 1,189 pounds and is 12 feet, 4 inches long. In late January of 2023, Ironbound’s tracker last located it near the coast, northeast of Fort Lauderdale. 

Ironbound had been traveling southward from much higher up the East Coast prior to this ping, and it had previously been monitored southeast of Miami Beach in mid-January.

Ironbound was detected in December 2021 in areas closer to North Carolina. This great white pinged off the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia in November, and in the area of Nova Scotia in Canada in October.

Great White Shark Facts

The largest sharks in the water are white sharks, which can reach lengths of nearly 20 feet and weights more than 5,000 pounds! Even though whale sharks and basking sharks are larger, they are filter feeders instead of active hunters like great white sharks, making them the largest predatory fish in the world. 

Their anatomy is geared toward hunting: White sharks can capture and dismember prey easily thanks to their keen sense of smell and strong, serrated teeth. White sharks are warm-blooded, which means they can elevate their internal body temperature above the water’s temperature, in contrast to several shark species that are cold-blooded.

This gives them the energy they need to move fast while feeding.

Sharks Off of Florida’s Coast

Shark species found in Florida have sizes that range from a few feet to over 40 feet overall. Florida has a diversified shark population. Because of the damage a single bite from a shark can do, experts advise swimmers to avoid them. 

Bull sharks, tiger sharks, and great white sharks are among the species that can become big enough to hurt humans and have attacked people in the past. However, one is not likely to see these sharks in Florida waters on a regular basis.

Blacktip Sharks

The blacktip shark is a deep bluish-grey shark with the exception of its anal fin, bearing a characteristic black tip on most of its fins. Blacktips are primarily pelagic but frequently come closer to shore in large schools, especially when Spanish mackerel is present. In Florida and the Bahamas, it is usually the most abundant shark, particularly among juvenile ones, in clear-water channels and near beaches.

Bonnethead

The smallest member of the hammerhead family, the bonnethead shark, is usually three to four feet long. It is common in aquariums and is found in profusion in Florida’s coastal waters. The bonnethead is gray or grayish-brown in hue, with a head shaped like a shovel that has been much expanded. It primarily consumes crabs and other crustaceans for nourishment.

Sandbar Sharks

The brown shark, commonly known as the sandbar shark, is often located near shore at depths of between 60 and 200 feet. This shark feeds mostly on fish and shellfish on the bottom as both a predator and scavenger. It migrates over great distances and reaches maturity at around six feet in length, however, it can grow as long as nearly eight feet. It has a brown or gray exterior and a white interior. During the winter, it migrates in groups to the waters around Florida.