Authorities were forced to take some desperate measures to remove the carcass of a gigantic 24-foot shark off a UK beach earlier this week.
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British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDLMR) and Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) teams were called to Maidens Beach on Sunday, June 30, after the massive fish was discovered on the shore.
24-foot shark washed up on a Scottish beach and was discovered Sunday evening.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) July 3, 2024
It had a rope caught between its mouth and wrapped around its tail. They had to use a forklift to remove it from the beach.
Sad to see such a great creature end like this. pic.twitter.com/4aeOvuW7ta
The person who called, Yolanda McCall from Ayrshire, Scottland, originally believed the shark was actually a whale.
“It was tangled in a long loop of rope, in its mouth and caught around its tail,” she explained to What’s the Jam. “The creature was bobbing around in the water and we couldn’t tell if it was dead or alive.”
“I wanted to try to help it, if it was alive and floundering, so I put on a wetsuit and got in the water to check. Sadly it was dead, but it looked very complete, a recent death. Maybe it got tired trying to free itself.”
McCall was able to capture of a video of the animal while it was on shore.
Officials, which also included the coastguard, were able to identify the creature as being a 24-foot basking shark. Yolanda said that after the tide went out, everyone was able to see what kind of animal it was. “[It’s] very sad, she noted.
Due to the size of the fish, officials were forced to use a forklift to get the carcass off the beach.
The Basking Shark Is Considered the Second Largest Fish in the World
The basking shark is considered the second largest fish in the world, behind the whale shark. Although not the largest, the basking sharks are the biggest sharks that can breach.
They are notably filter feeders that eat tiny, planktonic prey.
This fish can reach max lengths of 40 feet and weigh 10,000 pounds. Although can look predatory like other sharks, it is considered harmless. This is due to it having six rows of 1,500 tiny, hooked teeth. It is also estimated that they may live up to 50 years.
National Geographic reports that in the spring and summer, the massive fish travels to coastal, “nutrient-rich” waters to feed. Among the best spots for them during the seasons are the western coast of Scotland, the Isle of Man, the northeastern U.S., and Canada.
Although they are rarely seen in the winter, scientists report that sharks do not hibernate. Instead, they hang out in deep and more distant waters.