By Michael Lee Simpson
A 13-foot great white shark said to rival "Contender" - the largest ever tracked in the Atlantic - and is gliding off the New York-New Jersey coast.
Chris Fischer, founder of the marine research nonprofit OCEARCH, says the massive female shark named "Goodall" represents a rare opportunity to study the reproductive behavior of great whites.
Goodall, which pinged on Wednesday, Dec. 10, is over 13ft long and weighs almost 1,400 lbs, while Contender measures nearly 14ft and weighs about 1,700 lbs.
Researchers are tracking hormone levels in mature sharks to pinpoint peak mating times and potential breeding locations.
Goodall is a mature female whose movements and biology could provide crucial insights into the species' breeding patterns.
"This is a super important shark because this is a mature female white shark coming in at about 1,400 lbs, a little over 13ft long," Fischer said.
"Obviously, these big mature females have an opportunity to help us with a number of things when it comes to deciphering the puzzle of these apex predators' lives."
The research team believes they've already identified where great white pups are born - the waters off New York and New Jersey - but the mating locations remain unknown.
Fischer explains that the northern waters provide ideal conditions for newborn sharks.
"We've tagged the young of the year up there in that general region," he said.
"It's a perfect place to drop off your pups because they come out, they're on their own, and they're covered up with just acres of menhaden and mackerel and squid and rays.
He added: "It's a perfect place for a baby white shark."
To solve the mating puzzle, OCEARCH scientists are collecting blood samples from mature sharks year-round to measure hormone levels.
By tracking estrogen peaks in females and testosterone levels in males, researchers hope to pinpoint when breeding occurs.
"We're trying to get samples from across the year from these big females so we can measure their hormone levels and understand when their peak estrogen levels are and the peak testosterone in the males," Fischer said.
"We're trying to see where that hormonal cycle peaks and try to see if that can lead us in the right direction on the where and when of mating."
The tracking data from Goodall and other tagged sharks will be crucial in the coming months.
Fischer says researchers will be watching closely to see if mature males and females congregate in similar areas during peak breeding season, particularly in February, March, and April.
"The big thing with Goodall and the other mature females and mature males is to really keep an eye on them over the coming months to see if, rather than them being randomly spread out, they might come together kind of in a similar region," he said.
Finding mature female great whites like Goodall is extremely challenging, making each encounter scientifically valuable.
Fischer notes the rarity of these research opportunities.
"These big, mature females are hard to come across," he said.
"We might have to capture and release 10 various white sharks before we have a shot at a big, mature female like a Goodall."
He added: "They're super important, they're super hard to come by, and they can help you answer some of the most important questions."
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