Man shocked after finding remains of giant sea creature washed up on beach

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Locals have been left stunned after the remains of a giant sea creature were found washed up on a beach. The fleshy carcass was found on the sand close to Fort Perch Rock in New Brighton at the mouth of Liverpool Bay at around 9am on Friday, January 5.Stephen Davies was out on his daily run when he discovered the 15ft body, which is believed to be a basking shark, and said he had never seen anything like it.The 72-year-old told the Liverpool ECHO: "I was running on the beach and thought 'what's that?' because it looked quite big.

I was talking to a fisherman who said it was a basking shark, which I don't think is fairly common around here."But it could have been washed in by the tide.

I have never come across anything like it before."According to the Wildlife Trust, basking sharks are most commonly seen in the summer months and are known to frequent the coasts of south-west England, Wales, the Isle of Man, and west Scotland.It is the second largest fish found in UK seas, behind the monstrous whale shark.

Basking sharks move slowly, gathering minuscule zooplankton in their massive mouths, which measure up to a metre in width.Despite its size, the deceased shark found in New Brighton is likely to have been a youngster, as fully grown basking sharks can measure up to 40ft (12 metres) in length, and can weigh up to six tonnes.