Great white sharks are showing up off the Carolinas as winter nears

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Great white sharks are showing up off the Carolina coast as winter approaches. The Charlotte Observer reported Monday that 10 great whites have been recorded off the North Carolina and South Carolina coast in recent weeks.

They include one that's almost 15 feet long and weighs more than 1,300 pounds.

The group Ocearch tags the sharks with GPS trackers that "ping" each time they surface.

Researchers said the southeastern coast is a "a winter hot spot" for sharks. Ocearch founder Chris Fischer said the area off Cape Hatteras is "a staging area for migration" in the fall and spring.

The latest ping was Monday near Charleston. The shark named Brunswick was tagged almost 10 months ago. He's traveled more than 6,000 miles from past Nova Scotia in Canada and back down to South Carolina.