Great White Shark Headed Up East Coast (and Making a Splash)

Laura Begley Bloom
·Editor-in-Chief
Updated
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Mary Lee, the great white shark. (Photo: Ocearch)

There’s a great white shark headed to the New York area — and we know it because the 16-foot, 3,456-pounder has been tweeting her way up the east coast.

No, it’s not a joke.

Mary Lee the shark has her own Twitter handle (@MaryLeeShark) and has been sending out updates from her journeys. This very social shark also has a web page (sharks-ocearch.verite.com/), where fans can follow her route.

Nonprofit group Ocearch, which researches great white sharks, humanely tagged the shark off Cape Cod in September 2012 and tracks her whereabouts with a device that gives off a ping each time the fin goes above the water. Mary Lee’s Twitter account isn’t affiliated with Ocearch, but the cheeky posts have gained her a following that would be the envy of any millennial: 14,700 followers at press time — and counting.

Related: WATCH: The Top 10 Most Terrifying Shark Attacks… Ever!

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Mary Lee’s recent movements. (Photo: Ocearch)

In the last month, Mary Lee has had quite a sightseeing tour, with stops near Ocean City, Maryland, North and South Carolina, and the Delmarva Peninsula. Her latest pitstop: just north of Brigantine, New Jersey.

Related: Amazing! Australian Man Punches Shark — And Survives

And there’s no denying that Mary Lee has a sense of humor. “Maybe I’ll just cruise on down to visit my friends the right whales,” she wrote on Twitter. “Maybe we can do dinner.”

How did she celebrate Shark Week? “Oh you know, swim, eat, tweet and repeat. Every week is #SharkWeek.”

Her feelings about her recent travels? “Looking back over my social calendar for the past month. Busy, busy, busy.”

But Mary Lee better watch out, as she has competition: Lydia Shark (@RockStarLydia), the first great white to be tracked crossing the Atlantic. Lydia has 12,800 followers on Twitter.

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