Mira, the first-ever dusky shark to be tracked by OCEARCH, was tagged May 15, 2025, in Jacksonville, Florida. She measured 9 feet 8 inches long and weighed about 327 pounds and has now been pinged off the Gulf Coast again about 60 miles west of St. Petersburg, Florida.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Endangered dusky shark Mira was tracked off the Gulf Coast on March 10, just about 60 miles west of St. Petersburg, Florida.
First tagged in Jacksonville in May 2025, Mira, a female adult dusky shark, is relatively new to the tracking program.
Mira, the first-ever dusky shark to be tracked by OCEARCH, was tagged May 15, 2025, in Jacksonville, Florida.
(OCEARCH)
She measured 9 feet 8 inches long and weighed about 327 pounds, making her just above the known size for maturity within the species, according to OCEARCH.
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She is the first-ever dusky shark to be tracked by OCEARCH, offering rare insights into a globally endangered species.
Since being tagged in May 2025, she’s been on quite an extensive journey.
Over the past 10 months, she’s been tracked all along the East and Gulf Coasts, pinging as far north as the Maryland and Delaware coasts, before making her way back to the Gulf.
Mira’s tracking since May 15, 2025
Large and powerful, these sharks are potentially dangerous to humans, often appearing in shallow coastal waters where swimmers frequent and capable of delivering a strong bite.
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According to the IUCN Red List, dusky sharks are classified as Endangered globally due to massive population declines caused by overfishing.
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With that said, their recovery is significantly hindered as well by their extremely slow life cycle, as they often do not reach maturity until about 20 years of age and have long gestation periods of up to 22 months.
FILE: A dusky shark seen hunting off Southampton, New York on July 20, 2024.
(Joanna Steidle via Storyful / FOX Weather)
According to OCEARCH, scientists say Mira offers valuable data as she did not show signs of pregnancy or recent mating.
“Seeing Mira using Gulf waters is an encouraging sign for conservation efforts after the species nearly disappeared from the region in the 1980s and 90s,” they said.
With much still to uncover about the species, she is named Mira, meaning “wonder” and also a star in the night sky.
Mira and other sharks and sea animals like her can be tracked in real-time using the free OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker app.
