Scientists have observed unusual behavior in great white sharks off the coast of Georgia. Tracking devices placed on two sharks revealed that they traveled along similar paths up the Atlantic Coast and reached the southern coast of Nova Scotia on the same day last month.
This migration pattern is groundbreaking, as great white sharks are typically solitary predators. The sharks, named Jekyll and Simon, swam about 4,000 miles and were last tracked together in July off Quebec's eastern coast. Scientists are awaiting blood sample results to determine if the sharks are related.
This discovery adds a new element of familial and social components to shark migration. The nonprofit organization OCEARCH has been tracking sharks since 2012 to learn more about their habitats, breeding patterns, feeding habits, and migration routes. So far, they have tracked 92 white sharks, including Jekyll and Simon. These two sharks have stayed between 10 and 100 miles of each other, which is unusual for white sharks.
The scientists are interested in understanding the social behavior of sharks, as it is not well-known. The arrival of Jekyll and Simon near Nova Scotia's southern coast raised questions about their migration patterns and whether their shared sex or physical dimensions influenced their similar paths.
If the sharks are related, it would suggest that they have closer family ties than previously thought. Both sharks have since journeyed past Halifax and around the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.