Drone footage captured a great white shark swimming near a popular beach in Maine.

A massive great white shark was spotted lurking off the coast of Maine near popular beaches, prompting police in one coastal town to issue a warning.

Officials in Scarborough informed the public of a "potential shark sighting in local waters, specifically in the area off the south tip of Richmond Island, Crescent Beach State Park, Higgins Beach and Pine Point Beach" located along the Maine coast. All beaches are within a half-hour's drive of Portland.

Authorities said a Scarborough marine resource officer "received a report of what appeared to be a large shark near Richmond Island and Scarborough Beach" on Aug. 11, prompting them to investigate the sighting.

"Follow-up observations were conducted," and the officer obtained drone footage showing what appeared to be a great white shark roughly 10–12 feet in length off the southern end of Richmond Island, in the vicinity of Higgins Beach and Scarborough Beach, the news release said.

Watch drone footage of great white shark swimming near Maine beach

The great white shark has been spotted multiple times in the area, and authorities have advised the public to exercise extra caution when visiting nearby beaches and stay alert in the water. No incidents involving the shark have been reported so far, marine resource officer Daryen Granata told USA TODAY Aug. 13.

The latest sighting comes less than a month after two shark sightings in southern Maine. The sightings occurred within 48 hours, east of Bailey Island, prompting the Harpswell Marine Resources & Harbor Management to implement shark notification flags at Cedar Beach, located about 50 miles from Portland.

Sharks in Maine

An apex predator, the great white shark − also known as the white shark − is at the top of the food chain. Marked by a large first dorsal fin, which typically has a pointed apex, they are found worldwide in "temperate and subtropical waters, often migrating seasonally to follow its preferred temperature range," according to NOAA. In the U.S. Atlantic, the white shark is typically found in Maine to the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) and U.S. Caribbean. In the Pacific, they range from Alaska to California and Hawaii, NOAA says.

These sharks have a diverse diet, feeding on fish, invertebrates, and marine mammals. While juvenile white sharks mainly eat bottom fish, smaller sharks and rays, and schooling fish and squids, larger white sharks feed on seal and sea lion colonies and occasionally scavenge dead whales.

While these sharks mostly cruise through waters thanks to their heavy, torpedo-shaped body for long periods of time, they can suddenly switch to high speed bursts and also sometimes leap out of the water, according to World Wildlife Organization.

Shark attacks in the US

At least a dozen people have been attacked by sharks in the United States so far this year, data collected by USA TODAY shows.

The most recent reported incident took place on July 22 in south Florida, when a Canadian tourist was seriously injured and hospitalized after a shark bit him.

According to USA TODAY Network tracking and data from the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) and TrackingSharks.com, 12 reported shark attacks have occurred so far this year in American waters.

More than half took place in Florida, while the second highest number of incidents happened in South Carolina, data shows. No attacks were reported in Maine.

So far, none resulted in death.

How to reduce risk of a shark attack

  • Never swim alone.
  • Don't swim at dawn or at dusk.
  • Don't enter waters where people are fishing.
  • Skip wearing shiny jewelry. It can catch the sunlight and glint, much like fish that sharks prey upon.
  • Avoid splashing. It generates sounds similar to struggling fish, which can attract sharks.

Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Massive great white shark spotted near popular beaches in Maine: See drone video

Reporting by Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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