Great White Shark Cabot Pings In Long Island Sound For The First Time Ever, An ‘Unusual Area’ For The Species

A great white shark pinged for the first time in Long Island Sound off the coast of Greenwich, Connecticut, early Monday morning, reported The Daily Mail.

The shark in question is named Cabot and was tagged back in October 2018 by research group OCEARCH, which aims to collect previously unattainable data on ocean life.

Cabot came in at 533 pounds and measured 9-feet-8-inches before being released back into the ocean and continuously tracked. Since October, followers of the research group were kept up to date on Cabot’s whereabouts through his personal Twitter account, GWSharkCabot.

Cabot was one of seven white sharks captured, tagged, sampled, and released back into the waters of Nova Scotia in October. Since then, he has traveled to the Gulf of Maine, a common location for great whites, then down the Long Island coast, moving further south to Georgia. When he pinged in Savannah, Georgia, he was in the company of many other sharks.

The young shark then made his way to the Gulf of Mexico, following the typical migration patterns of great whites during colder winters. According to the research group, great whites typically enjoy temperatures around 60 degrees.

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to give a big thank you to all of you amazing humans. Today has been a spectacular day for me and @OCEARCH and I couldn’t be more grateful for the support many of you have shown! pic.twitter.com/0C262FRsCI

— Great White Shark Cabot (@GWSharkCabot) May 20, 2019

In April, he pinged in South Carolina and was seen heading back up north, pinging again in North Carolina where he was in the company of three other OCEARCH sharks. As the waters continued warming, Cabot moved farther north, pinging in Delaware Bay last week before hitting the Long Island Sound.

On Monday, OCEARCH tweeted the news of Cabot’s arrival in the Sound, writing that it was “unusual for white sharks to visit the area.”

Cabot’s Twitter account also chimed in on the news.

“I heard sending a ping from the Long Island Sound had never been done before by a white shark…so naturally I had to visit and send one off. Hello Greenwich how are you today?!”

A follow-up tweet asked followers for ideas on fun things to do in the area, adding that Cabot was up for an exciting new adventure.

Amused fans left comments on the posts, welcoming Cabot to the area and telling him to be careful as there are many boats in the shallower waters.

One excited follower wrote, “Hey Cabot!!!! Enjoy the Sound!!!! Can’t wait to show my 8 year old you came to visit- he loves Chatham because of you guys!!! Swim deep- and cheers to fun adventures. Thanks for visiting us!”

Per the Daily Mail, OCEARCH Expedition leader Chris Fischer talked to Today about Cabot’s adventures. He explained that great whites will most likely head to the south shore of Long Island to give birth and added that there is no need to fear, but that beachgoers should be on alert.