FORT FISHER - A 12-foot tiger shark was tracked on the North Carolina coast early Thursday morning.
Chessie, a 1,200 pound tiger shark, was in the Cape Fear River near Fort Fisher at about 3:30 a.m. She is the largest tiger shark ever tagged on the East Coast.
"I've heard of it happening before but I didn't think it could happen here," said Hannah Coleman, a tourist visiting from Waco, Texas. "It'd be a little scary if that came after me. Lots of teeth."
Chessie is ranked on the large size for her species, as most tiger sharks are between 300 and 500 pounds. She was caught and tagged in South Carolina on May 18.
"To her credit she's traveled a good distance," said Paul Barrington from the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
Barrington said sharks her size are not unusual for the Cape Fear region.
"Tiger sharks, especially between the months of April through about October, November are a common coastal species of shark," Barrington said.
The Cape Fear River is the farthest north Chessie has traveled since being tagged in May. Barrington said tiger sharks are attracted to the shallow water because of all the food sources.
"The mouths of rivers, the estuaries, the salt marshes, are prolific area for all the different species of animals, all the small fishes and what not, sea turtles, sea birds, all of which are some of the prey items for tiger sharks," Barrington said.
However, their preference for shallow water can also bring them a little too close to people. Despite their strength and ferociousness, Barrington said there's not much to worry about when it comes to Chessie hanging out on the North Carolina coast.
"You know, this weekend I wouldn't stay out of the water just because Chessie is close," Barrington said.
Chessie hasn't surfaced since pinging near Fort Fisher early Thursday morning. When she does, researchers will know if she decided to stick around the Cape Fear region.