Drowning Shark?

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  • Author: D.O. Gordon
  • Press: Shark Magazine
  • Date: Tuesday, 12 August 2014

Mid-July, a great white shark washed up on a beach in Australia. It was dead, but with no apparent external injuries. The Western Australian Department of Fisheries investigated.

Two days prior to the shark’s appearance between Geraldton and Shark Bay, it was seen by tourists in the shallow water near Coronation Beach. The shark appeared to be swimming very near the surface, moving into towards shore where it thrashed on the sand in very shallow water before swimming back out to sea. The tourists published the video here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvmOvkTwyPU

The shark apparently died when a sea lion became stuck in its throat. The unusual behaviors may have been attempts to dislodge the large blockage. The Department of Fisheries stated that the blockage could have damaged some of the shark’s organs or impaired its gills. It is also possible that in one of the attempts to rid itself of the sea lion in shallow water, the shark became stranded on shore.

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