A shark nicknamed ‘Deep Blue’ is the largest great white shark to ever be recorded.
While great whites are already known to be the largest shark species in the world, it’s Deep Blue herself that takes the individual crown for being the largest ever recorded.
Weighing a scale-busting 2.5 tons, the mighty beast dubbed Deep Blue measures up at an incredible eight feet high with huge fins and razor-sharp teeth. Stunning snaps show the mesmerizing creature – who is thought to be more than 50 years old – dwarfing divers daring to swim alongside her.
The gigantic great white sent ripples across the world when she was first caught on camera in 2014 off the coast of Guadalupe Island in Mexico.
Marine biologist Mauricio Hoyos Padilla was conducting research with his team when they spotted Deep Blue swimming around their boat. He recalled to Surfer Today that she was ‘the biggest female I have ever seen in my life.
” On the second day, I was in the water, and we had to wait. But all of a sudden, there she came. Deep Blue was very calm and just doing circles around us. That’s when we realized how big she was. “
Despite the large shark circling their boat, Maier said that ‘Everything was very well prepared, and the whole team felt safe.’ Fortunately, videographer and diving enthusiast Michael Maier was also on board and was able to capture the historic moment on camera.
It’s thought Deep Blue may have been pregnant when first discovered, as female great while tend to remain in solitude at high depths until they are ready to give birth, according to Surf Researcher.
” This gentle giant swam up and brushed up against our boat repeatedly. There is a theory that large females come here when they are possibly pregnant, trailing whales. There was a .d.e.ad sperm whale in the area and we did observe her from a distance swimming over to it and eating it on a regular basis throughout the day. “
Despite their notoriety for being dangerous sharks, Deep Blue does not have an aggressive personality, according to experts. The shark got her name from Discovery Channel diver Mauricio Hoyos Padilla, who swam with the creature as part of a Shark Week documentary.
Research shared last month stated that sharks like Deep Blue and other big fish need to be left alone if humans want to save the planet. This is because nature’s big fish reportedly absorb greenhouse emissions, and are able to transfer this into ocean bed storage when they sink to the bottom of the sea upon .d.eath.
