Great Whites Gather After Famous Ironbound Appears off South Carolina Coast

Another huge great white shark has been spotted off the coast of South Carolina shortly after well-known specimen Ironbound was tracked in the same area.

Ironbound—who measured 12 feet, 4 inches and weighed 1,189 pounds when he was caught and tagged in 2019—was tracked swimming off the coast of South Carolina on May 18 by ocean research organization OCEARCH.

On May 23, two other sharks were tracked in the waters—and one is even bigger than Ironbound.

Breton, who weighs a gargantuan 1,437 pounds and measures 13 feet 3 inches, pinged off South Carolina in the early hours of the morning.

Rose, who measures 10 feet 5 inches, then pinged not far from where Ironbound was tracked.

These sharks belong to a population of Atlantic great whites that spend the winters in the south, then migrate along the East Coast to Canada.

Before this ping, Breton was in North Carolina. Rose however, swam there all the way from Florida, where she was tracked just a few days prior.

Before Ironbound turned up off South Carolina he was also tracked off the coast of Florida as well as the Bahamas in April. Previously Ironbound had been spotted just off the coast of Florida, northeast of Fort Lauderdale, on January 22.

Even though these sharks are in the same place, great whites are a solitary species and do not travel together.

Some sharks may occasionally stray from their migration route and end up in the same place.

At this time of year, great whites are usually lurking in Carolina waters. Scientists believe this may be for their breeding season, although the mating habits of the species remain something of a mystery. One of OCEARCH's main aims is to learn more about this.

There have been many sightings of great white shark pups swimming off the Carolina waters over the years. Because of this, experts believe the area provides a nursery area for their young.

Great white shark nursery areas are usually protected, shallow areas of water where pups can grow and learn before venturing off into deeper waters. Here they can learn to evade predators and how to hunt.

Great white sharks are listed as a vulnerable species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.

Although they often lurk in the shallow waters near the coast, they pose very little danger to humans.

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