6-Foot Dead, Frozen Shark Washes Ashore on Cold Storage Beach

A massive shark was found dead in Dennis after a brutal cold snap at Cape Cold.

Frozen Shark Found Dead on Cold Storage Beach

Local photographer Amie Medeiros was enjoying her frozen winter adventure at Cold Storage Beach when she came across a carcass of a frozen shark. She took some photos and shared them on Instagram.

The post received several comments from netizens who were surprised by the rare finding and sad at the same time that it was already dead.

One asked how big the shark was because it looked huge in the photos. The online user said they wouldn't want to be in the water with that shark; otherwise, it would be death. Medeiros said that the shark was about 5 to 6 feet long in her estimate.

The photographer said she wasn't expecting to find a frozen shark during her winter adventure. She captured the photos around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, CapeCod.com reported.

The outlet noted a brutal cold snap in Cape Cod, with temperatures below zero degrees late Friday night and early Saturday morning.

According to the National Weather Service, wind chills in the Mid-Cape bottomed out at 30 below zero overnight Friday, with air temperatures around six below zero.

However, the death of the shark was probably due to an injury. In the photos shared by Medeiros, the shark visibly got injured on its side.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy officials were notified about the rare find Saturday afternoon.

Other Sea Creatures That Washed Ashore in the Past Months

In December, a 450-pound giant sunfish was washed up on North Topsail beach near the Seaview Pier. The rare sea creature was so huge that it measured 74 inches (6.1 feet) from its nose to tail and 82 inches (6.8 feet) from fin to fin.

Due to its massive size, it took so many people to bring the fish to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.

Gabriela Hogue, Ichthyology Collections at the museum, said the fish was in perfect condition, and it was cold outside when it was washed ashore, so it was preserved. The volunteers also hauled it up and iced it down to endure that it would be preserved well before it went into the museum.

Ocean Sunfish or mola was rare because it's the heaviest bony fish. They can reach up to 14 feet vertically and 10 feet horizontally. , and weigh up to 5,000 pounds, per National Geographic.

A bizarre eel-like creature was also washed ashore in Crystal Beach in January. Many were shocked at the finding and had a hard time identifying the sea creature, with some joking that it was similar to the sandworm from the Beetlejuice movie.

Mark Fisher, the TWPD Coastal Fisheries Science Director, told San Antonio Express-News that it was a snapper eel, which is common in Galveston Bay. However, they usually keep themselves burrowed, so they aren't visible to most people.

Check out more news and information on Fish in Science Times.