Shark Who Remains In Cold Waters An Enigma For Researchers

CHATHAM (CBS) – Since 2009, the state's marine biologists have tagged 100 great white sharks.

The animals spend their summers near Chatham, then head to warmer waters come autumn.

But there's one white shark who is an enigma.

"Lydia is one of our favorite sharks because she doesn't conform to any of the general patterns that we see in white sharks," says shark expert Dr. Greg Skomal.

He's talking about Lydia, who he tagged in 2013.

Unlike other sharks, Lydia hangs around the colder waters of the Atlantic Ocean during the winter months, swimming as far north as the waters of Greenland.

And now, while the rest of the white sharks are basking in warm water, Lydia is 100 miles southeast of Chatham on George's Bank.

"We think she's diving deep to forage to eat something down there, big schools of fish or squid or something like that, which is not typically what we think of when we think of white sharks," Skomal said. "We think of them as coming to Cape Cod to feed on seals."

Skomal has partnered with a charter boat captain in South Carolina who just today tagged a new shark.

"It's great to be able to get a tag out to that area to see if this shark is going to wander up our way come the summer," said Skomal.