A great white shark has posted a new speed record crossing the Indian Ocean from South Africa to Australia in just 99 days – fastest for any marine organism.

Just six months later the great white had made the 7000 mile journey again and was spotted back in the waters of South Africa. Marine biologists tracked the animal by temporarily attaching a transmitter to the shark’s dorsal fin and following the signal by satellite.

Although the shark spent significant time in the depths of the ocean, for most of its transoceanic journey it remained within 5 meters of the surface. Scientist speculate that this may have allowed the shark to use celestial clues for navigation. More importantly however, the results help scientist to understand this top predator’s behaviour and migration patterns. For the first time Ramon Bonfil and colleagues, have shown that the two most significant populations of great white shark in the waters of South Africa and Australia, are not isolated from each other. This physical contact improves the genetic diversity and betters the chances of survival of the shark population, but also highlights the vulnerability to open ocean fishing and lost drifting nets.