Another 10-foot great white shark pings off Florida near Marco Island

Kim Luciani, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
Updated ·3 min read

After frequent surfaces by great white shark Andromache in recent months, there's a new visitor in Southwest Florida waters.

Research group OCEARCH-tagged white shark Penny pinged off the coast of Marco Island Saturday morning.

The 10-foot juvenile shark's satellite tag, placed on her dorsal fin by researchers, broke the water at 10:26 a.m. and transmitted location information to trackers.

This is Penny's first trip to Florida since she was tagged last April off North Carolina. Once tagged, she traveled north to Nova Scotia before starting her migration south in late October.

Here's what to know about Penny, OCEARCH and white sharks in Florida:

More about OCEARCH white shark Penny

Penny, a female white shark, was 10 feet, 3 inches long and weighed 522 pounds when she was tagged off Ocracoke, North Carolina, in April 2023.
Penny, a female white shark, was 10 feet, 3 inches long and weighed 522 pounds when she was tagged off Ocracoke, North Carolina, in April 2023.

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Penny measured 10 feet 3 inches and weighed 522 pounds when she was tagged on April 23, 2023, off Ocracoke, North Carolina.

The shark has traveled 4,725 miles since then – from North Carolina north to Nova Scotia, then south for the winter in the Gulf of Mexico.

Penny was the 92nd white shark tagged by OCEARCH in the Western North Atlantic and named after the group's friends at Salty Penny Canvas in Morehead City, North Carolina.

Great white shark Andromache also likes Southwest Florida

White shark Andromache has been hanging around the Southwest Florida coast since November.

The shark pinged off Marco Island on Nov. 16 and Nov. 21, and off Naples on Dec. 15 and Dec. 20, 21 and 23.

She was 10 feet 8 inches long, weighed 341 pounds and was classified as a juvenile when OCEARCH tagged her on Aug. 9, 2020, off Cape Cod.

Andromache also wintered in warm Gulf of Mexico waters in 2022. She pinged off Southwest Florida in November of 2022 and traveled to the Panhandle in early December before heading back north.

Andromache was named after a character in Greek mythology who was a symbol of maternity, strength and courage.

This image of a great white shark was taken by OCEARCH on Aug. 9 while the non-profit research group said the shark was circling the group's boat. OCEARCH placed a satellite tag on the shark and named her Andromache after a character in Greek mythology.
This image of a great white shark was taken by OCEARCH on Aug. 9 while the non-profit research group said the shark was circling the group's boat. OCEARCH placed a satellite tag on the shark and named her Andromache after a character in Greek mythology.

Why do great white sharks come to Florida?

White sharks swim south when the water gets too cold for them and they lack food sources up north, according to OCEARCH chief scientist Dr. Bob Hueter.

Think of them as the snowbirds of sharks.

Most of them tend to hang out away from the beaches in the continental shelf waters, Hueter said.

What is OCEARCH?

OCEARCH is a nonprofit organization researching the ocean's giants.

The group is recently finished up its 46th expedition, dubbed Expedition Southeast. It departed from Jacksonville on Nov. 17 and is made its final docking in Morehead City, North Carolina on Dec. 15.

Most shark attacks happen in Florida

There are about 100 documented shark attacks around the globe each year and Florida is home to most of those.

While Florida has the most attacks, South Africa has the most shark-related fatalities.

Since 1992, there have been 1,234 shark bites worldwide, according to data from floridapanhandle.com, with white sharks credited as the top biters.

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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida great white sharks: 10-footer 'Penny' pings off Marco Island