The seven-metre-long female basking shark was discovered on Inchydoney on Friday and could unlock secrets of the breed that are populating Irish waters.
Although, it's unknown how it died as there are no obvious indicators on its body.
Over the weekend, crews from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Trinity College Dublin's Zoology Department, and Cork County Council arrived to dissect the animal for analysis, writes CorkBeo.
A marine biologist has said the find was 'bitter-sweet' after the fascinating breed was found dead.
Dr Nicholas Payne, also a lecturer at Trinity, said: “It’s sad of course to see such a big beautiful animal like that, but it’s good to try and get something positive out of it,” he said.
“We don’t really know how the shark died,” Dr Payne explained. “There was food in the stomach and it didn’t look like it had swallowed anything crazy.
"There was no evidence it had been torn up by a barge or anything like that.”
Dr Payne said the shark was approximately seven-and-a-half-metres long, but fully grown adults can be more than 10 metres in length.
It's believed the shark had not reached adulthood.
“It’s sad that it didn’t live longer, but incredibly fascinating at the same time. The specimen was fresh, it’s unusual to find one in such good condition - usually, you’ll get a rotting carcass that’s been dead for weeks.
The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is the second-largest living shark and fish, after the whale shark, and one of three plankton-eating shark species, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark.
Although, it's unknown how it died as there are no obvious indicators on its body.
Over the weekend, crews from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Trinity College Dublin's Zoology Department, and Cork County Council arrived to dissect the animal for analysis, writes CorkBeo.
A marine biologist has said the find was 'bitter-sweet' after the fascinating breed was found dead.
Dr Nicholas Payne, also a lecturer at Trinity, said: “It’s sad of course to see such a big beautiful animal like that, but it’s good to try and get something positive out of it,” he said.
“We don’t really know how the shark died,” Dr Payne explained. “There was food in the stomach and it didn’t look like it had swallowed anything crazy.
"There was no evidence it had been torn up by a barge or anything like that.”
Dr Payne said the shark was approximately seven-and-a-half-metres long, but fully grown adults can be more than 10 metres in length.
It's believed the shark had not reached adulthood.
“It’s sad that it didn’t live longer, but incredibly fascinating at the same time. The specimen was fresh, it’s unusual to find one in such good condition - usually, you’ll get a rotting carcass that’s been dead for weeks.
It is usually greyish-brown, with mottled skin. The caudal fin has a strong lateral keel and a crescent shape.
Basking sharks have been shown from satellite tracking to overwinter in both continental shelf (less than 200 m or 660 ft) and deeper waters.
Basking sharks have been shown from satellite tracking to overwinter in both continental shelf (less than 200 m or 660 ft) and deeper waters.
They may be found in either small shoals or alone. Despite their large size and threatening appearance, basking sharks are not aggressive and are harmless to humans.
The basking shark has long been a commercially important fish, as a source of food, shark fin, animal feed, and shark liver oil.
The basking shark has long been a commercially important fish, as a source of food, shark fin, animal feed, and shark liver oil.
Overexploitation has reduced its populations to the point where some have disappeared and others need protection.
Music: Sunset n Beachz - Ofshane
Source: Daily Star, Twitter, Wikipedia
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Music: Sunset n Beachz - Ofshane
Source: Daily Star, Twitter, Wikipedia
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patryn.worldlatestnews
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