Title: Unprecedented Encounter: Great White Sharks Swim Together on a 4,000-Mile Journey
By Allie Griffin
August 16, 2023 | 8:17pm
A remarkable phenomenon has unfolded in the ocean depths as a pair of great white sharks, named Simon and Jekyll, embarked on an unprecedented journey, swimming over 4,000 miles from the Georgia coast to Nova Scotia together. This extraordinary behavior has left aquatic experts baffled and intrigued, referring to it as “groundbreaking”.
Traditionally, great white sharks are believed to be solitary creatures, making this discovery all the more astonishing. Dr. Bob Hueter, a prominent scientist at OCEARCH, a marine research nonprofit, captured the remarkable event in a video posted online, speculating that Simon and Jekyll may even be biological brothers.
The male sharks were captured and fitted with tracking devices by OCEARCH off the coast of Georgia, just five days apart in December. Since their release, they have been following the same route at the same time, maintaining an uncanny synchronization. The latest location traced from their tracking devices indicates that they were swimming in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
“We’ve never seen anything quite like this before,” exclaimed Hueter, who has dedicated decades to studying shark behavior. OCEARCH is currently conducting DNA testing on samples collected during the tagging process to determine if Simon and Jekyll are related, potentially serving as brothers or half-brothers who are traversing the same path.
Simon weighs a massive 434 pounds and measures 9 feet 6 inches, while Jekyll comes in at 395 pounds and measures 8 feet 8 inches. Both sharks are juvenile males and were tagged off St. Simon’s Island on December 4 and Jekyll Island on December 9, respectively.
Although it is not uncommon for sharks to gather for mating or hunting purposes, they typically migrate alone. However, Simon and Jekyll have remained within 10 to 100 miles of each other throughout their entire journey, defying conventional knowledge. Hueter, when interviewed by the Washington Post, admitted he currently lacked an explanation for this unusual social behavior but emphasized its significance in shark research and awareness.
“This discovery is humanizing in a way,” Hueter told the New York Times. “It reminds us that they have siblings, a mother, and a father. They are just trying to make a living in the ocean, and we need them for the balance of life in the sea.”
As scientists continue to monitor Simon and Jekyll’s extraordinary journey, the quest for understanding these magnificent creatures and their unique social connections takes a step forward.