A mako shark tagged by researchers in Nova Southeastern University's (NSU) Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) just set a world record for traveling half way across the earth in just 600 days.
The mako shark named Hell's Bay covered a total of 13,000 miles, the longest track ever documented in the Atlantic Ocean. Hell's Bay was tagged in 2015, with funding by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF).
"We've had some of our tagged makos take some pretty interesting tracks over the years, but this one swims above the rest," said Mahmood Shivji, a professor at NSU's Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography and the Director of NSU's GHRI in a statement.
"Having Hell's Bay report for as long as he has is fantastic because we're able to really get a detailed look at mako migration behavior over a good amount of time. He was like the Energizer bunny - he kept going and going and going, and luckily did not get captured like many of our other sharks."
Daily Mail notes that Hell's Bay was tagged in Ocean City. After which it swam north along the eastern seaboard and went through the Atlantic, across Maryland, Nova Scotia and Bermuda.
Mako sharks are known as excellent swimmers. United Press International reported that the shortfin mako shark, Isurus oxyrinchus, has been clocked at speeds of more than 60 miles per hour.
Tagging has been a way for scientists to study the behavior of sharks and other marine animals. It is also one way to find a solution on how they can conserve and protect them.
"These satellite tags allow us to follow sharks in near-real time," said Greg Jacoski, executive director of the GHOF said. "Understanding where these animals travel and the habitat that they use is the first step to better conserving the species."
The mako shark is considered "Vulnerable" in the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
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