A huge shark has washed up on a beach – the third in weeks.
The 12-foot-long animal was spotted at a beauty spot.
Experts said it was a juvenile basking shark and were working to establish the cause of death.
It comes after a blue shark and a porbeagle shark also washed up on beaches.
All three were found in the same general area of north-eastern Scotland.
The basking shark was found at Portgordon, Moray.
Local Peter MacDonald was saddened after seeing it.
“The yin and yang of wildlife at Portgordon,” he told Need To Know.
“The sad sight of a young basking shark about 12 ft long.
“I’ve never seen one beached before.
“Though last year we had over 35 swimmers in Moray Firth.
“Some were very close in.
“And this year we had the same number but in different areas.”
Experts from Shark and Skate Scotland examined the shark.
A spokesperson said: “We carried out a necropsy on the deceased male basking shark that had been reported to have washed in at Portgordon.
“This shark was still immature.
“When fully grown, this species can reach more than double this individual’s length.
“They are the second largest fish in the world, the largest being the whale shark.
“There was no obvious cause of death.
“However, we have taken several samples which will be analysed to hopefully give more insight.
“Due to the shark’s size and location, it has been left in situ on the beach to decompose, although it may also be carried out or moved along the coast with the upcoming spring tide.”
In October, Joy Peacock discovered a nine-foot-long blue shark at St Ninian’s in Shetland.
At the time, Joy, from East Yorkshire, said: “I was very sad to find it like that.
“It wasn’t really what I expected to see.”
And a few days later, Walker Annemarie Simpson was shocked after finding a fearsome-looking cousin of the great white shark washed up on shore.
The six-foot-long porbeagle was already dead when spotted on rocks at Wick, near John o’ Groats in the Scottish Highlands.
NHS worker Annemarie said: “I much prefer seeing them in the sea where they belong.
“In Caithness, we love our nature.
“We see a lot of orca here, so watching the coast is common.
“A porpoise or a risso dolphin is sometimes found on the shore.
“But a porbeagle shark, although known in our waters, is definitely a much rarer find onshore.
“I reported it, and scientists are coming out later to take a sample to get more information on the cause of death, condition and age.”
The six foot porbeagle shark, a close relative of the great white, found washed up on rocks in Wick in the Scottish Highlands. (Jam Press/Annemarie Simpson)
