A dead great white shark washed up on a Long Island beach Wednesday morning amid a string of recent attacks and sightings in nearby waters, authorities said.
The shark, estimated to be about 8 feet long, was spotted off the ocean beaches along Dune Road in the village of Quogue at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, police said in a news release.
A resident was able to capture photos of the shark and report the sighting to police before the waves swept the giant fish back into the ocean.
In a gruesome photo shared by police, the shark is seen motionless in the sand, with sharp teeth bared and what appears to be blood around its mouth.
8-foot great white shark washes up on Long Island beach. Village of Quogue Police
The shark is only half the size of a full-grown great white and is likely 6 to 10 years old, said Frank Quevedo, executive director of the South Fork Museum of Natural History’s Shark Research and Education Program. Publish.
The museum is working with police to try to locate the body and perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death, which cannot be speculated at this time.
“Different species wash up on the beach quite often, but when it’s a vulnerable species like a great white, we’ll do a necropsy,” Quevedo said.
This comes amid an increase in shark sightings on Long Island.
“A dead shark can provide more valuable data than a live shark,” Quevedo said, adding that the young shark’s carcass, if obtained, would provide “critical data points” in the museum’s shark conservation mission.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is also working on the case.
“At this time, we are warning swimmers and boaters in the area to be aware of this ongoing situation and to keep their distance to allow law enforcement to monitor this event,” Village of Quogue Police said in a release.
The Quogue shark surfaced a day after New York City closed Rockaway beaches over two shark sightings.
Further west on Long Island, there have been at least five shark attacks since June 30, along with numerous sightings.
On Monday, Gov. Cathy Hochul ordered state agencies to deploy more patrol boats, drones and helicopters to the South Shore.
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