There are 20 to 30 species of shark off the NC coast

According to Ocearch, a non-profit organization that tracks great white sharks and other large predators and keystone marine species, there are many different types of sharks off the North Carolina coast. Researchers think the warmer weather is a factor.
Posted 1/30/2020, 11:23:34 PM

THEY WERE HIT WITH A CLASS-

ACTION LAWSUIT IN NOVEMBER,

FAILING TO PAY SEVERANCE.

>>> ANYTHING DIFFICULT TO

BELIEVE, BUT RIGHT NOW, THERE

ARE 20 TO 30 DIFFERENT SPECIES

OF SHARKS SWIMMING IN THE

WATERS, OFT OUR COAST. THEY

LOOK GIGANTIC, VERY SCARY.

>> I GUESS IN REAL LIFE, I

DON'T KNOW, MAYBE SOME ARE NOT

BIG.

YOU CAN SEE IN THIS MAP WE

HAVE, SHARKS ARE VERY ACTIVE

THIS TIME OF YEAR OFF THE NORTH

CAROLINA COAST.

EACH OF THESE DOTS REPRESENT A

SHARK THAT HAS BEEN TAGGED BY

THE GROUP O SEARCH.

THEY'D GATHER DATA ON STARKS

AROUND THE WORLD.

WHILE THE NUMBER NEARBY MAY

MAKE PEOPLE UNEASY, THE SHARKS

PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE

FOOD CHAIN.

>> IT SEEMS HUMANS ARE

FASCINATED BY SHARKS.

>> THAT SORT OF FASCINATION OR

THAT RESPECT FOR YOUR EYE, I

IMAGINE IS JUST KIND OF

HARDWIRED AND PEOPLE.

>> YOU CAN REALLY SEE FROM THE

TRACKER, THE SHARKS BEGINNING

TO CONVERGE IN THIS REGION.

>> A POST ON FACEBOOK THAT

GREAT WHITE SHARKS ARE

GATHERING OFF THE SOUTHERN

COAST FROM CAPE HATTERAS TO

CAPE CANAVERAL, IT GETS A LOT

OF ATTENTION.

>> CERTAINLY THE GREAT WHITES

ARE EYE-CATCHING, SORT OF

MAGNIFICENT ANIMALS, IT'S

UNDERSTANDABLE WHY THEY ARE

PUBLIC INTERESTS.

THAT IS CERTAINLY NOT

CHARACTERISTICS FOR SHARKS IN

NORTH CAROLINA.

>> AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT

THE UNC INSTITUTE OF MARINE

SCIENCES IN MOREHEAD CITY

STUDIES SHARKS OFF OUR COAST.

HE SAYS MOST ARE MUCH SMALLER

AND LESS HARMFUL THAN THE GREAT

WHITE.

>> WE DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW

COMMON GREAT WHITE ARE, ONE OF

THE REAL CHALLENGES OF STUDDING

THEM IS THAT THEY ARE SORT OF

BIG, THEY CAN MOVE OVER BIG

SCALES AND THEY ARE ALLUSIVE.

>> SO WHY THE GREAT WHITE

GATHERING?

THEY THINK IT MAY BE THE

WEATHER.

>> WITH WARM UP WE HAD IN

FLORIDA, SOME OF THE SHARKS TO

THE NORTH.

>> I WOULD EXPECT MOST OF OUR

VISITORS, GREAT WHITE SHARK

VISITORS ARE GOING TO BE IN THE

WINTER.

THESE ARE SHARKS, THIS IS A

SPECIES THAT GENERALLY LIKES

COOLER WATER.

>> COOLER BUT NOT COLD.

THEMES SHARKS MAY BE MOVING

HERE FOR THE SAME REASON MANY

PEOPLE DO.

>> AS YOU CAN SEE, WHEN THE

SHARKS BEGIN TO CONVERGE IN THE

FEW DEGREES OF LATITUDE, IT IS

VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE SHARKS

DURING THIS TIME OF THE YEAR.

>> THAT ARE IN NONPROFIT

ORGANIZATION ATTRACT GREAT

WHITE SHARKS AND OTHER LARGE

© WRAL