Massachusetts

Close-Up Photo Shows Shark Washed Up on Cape Cod Beach

It offers a look into a large, black eye and the porbeagle shark's razor-sharp teeth

marconi beach shark porbeagle
Cape Cod National Seashore Park Rangers via AWSC

A photo of a washed-up shark on Cape Cod offers a rare close-up look at the elusive animal.

The 6-foot porbeagle shark was found dead just north of on Marconi Beach Sunday, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, which shared the photo on Facebook.

It isn't clear how the shark died. The areas around its mouth and some of its fins are tinged red in the photo, which also offers a look into a large, black eye and the shark's razor-sharp teeth.

Cape Cod Sharks: Over 180 Great White Sightings Already This Summer

This shark is about half the size of the biggest porbeagle sharks, which are related to great whites and makos, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's guide to Atlantic sharks. They're common in the northeast, ranging from New Jersey in the south to Newfoundland, Canada, in the north.

Sharks were sighted off Cape Cod over 200 times during the great white shark's busy season this year, according to the conservancy's Sharktivity app. 

One stunning photo from Marconi Beach this September showed a great white's fin just a few feet from a surfer.

Shark season isn’t over just yet — a photo shows a great white swimming very close to a surfer off Nauset Beach.

Want more shark sightings, news and factoids? Check out NBC10 Boston's Shark Tales podcast, a partnership with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy that takes a deep dive into sharks on Cape Cod.

Cape Cod Shark Sightings

All the sharks spotted on or near the cape in the summer of 2019.

Last updated: Aug. 21, 2019
Data from The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. Download their Sharktivity app here.

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