Meet Lyla Grace, the great white shark keen on a change of scenery.
Ocearch’s tracking technology allows researchers to monitor sharks movements throughout the world’s oceans, providing valuable insight into their behavior and their range.
Each shark is tagged with a tracking device that is inserted through their dorsal fin, and whenever they break the surface of the water, a signal is transmitted to a satellite. The satellite then sends back an estimated location of the shark.
Each of these ‘pings’ give researchers an accurate, real time location of a particular shark, allowing them to collect data about each individual.
During the tagging process, tests are done on the shark which determines their species, age, sex, weight, length and stage of life. From the data collected a profile is then setup for the shark on Ocearch’s official tracking website.
This process allows researchers to glean the extent of the shark’s territory, the distance they have covered since their tagging and monitor their behavior.
This information provided educates readers, not only about the current shark population and their behaviour, but also about OCEARCH’s conservation initiative.
Expectedly, each shark displays their own particular habits, which coastlines they prefer and the depth at which the like to swim. It’s interesting to follow a particular individual and see what they get up to, how much distance they cover in comparison to other sharks and whether they prefer shallow or deep waters.
Photo credit: www.ocearch.org.
Profile: Lyla Grace
Species: Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
Gender: Female
Weight: 340 kg
Length: 3.2 metres
Stage of Life: Immature
Total distance covered: 5610.59 miles
Tag Location: Mossel Bay
A native of Mossel Bay off the South African coast, jet-setting Lyla Grace has since emigrated from the cooler waters of the Cape to the more agreeable tropical environment off the coast of the island of Madagascar.
Lyla Grace can be described as a fun-loving shark always ready for a good time. Much of the reason she decided to head to Madagascar had to do with her insatiable appetite for the party, hoping that it might have more to offer than the slower life in the Cape.
So far it seems to be working and she has fit in with the local sharks seamlessly, despite her thick accent and strong personality.
At times she misses her old friends but is ultimately pleased with her decision, instead choosing to make regular visits back to her home in False Bay, especially when there are great white shark tours in the area during the busy summer months.
Although you may need to wait until summer to catch a glimpse of Lyla Grace, if you’re a fan of shark cage diving in Cape Townand would like to see Lyla Grace and her mates, book your shark cage diving experience with Shark Bookings today.
Credit: All data found on www.ocearch.org.
