A SHARK has washed up on a popular beach in Poole.
A beachgoer has found a starry smoothhound shark washed up on Canford Cliffs beach.
Kim, who was visiting the beach with her family, made the discovery at around 5pm on Thursday, June 16.
She said: “We were just having a picnic enjoying the hot weather, and there it was. It had been washed up. The tide was out quite a bit.”
The starry smoothhound shark is a common visitor to the coast in the summer.
Dr. Georgia Jones, senior lecturer at Bournemouth University and scientist at Shark Hub UK, said: “My advice is to enjoy them from a respectful distance so that you are not interfering with their behaviour.
“Anglers regularly catch them from Studland, and swimmers and paddle boarders encountered many last year at Sandbanks and Hengistbury head, and all had lovely encounters.
“They feed on crabs- they have flat crushing plates instead of pointy teeth.
“It seems they pup locally too. The individual in the photo looks like adult size so they don’t get especially large.”
In response to the discovery, BCP Council have encouraged beachgoers to report any future findings.
A spokesperson said: “As we live on the coast and because of the ecological richness of BCP regions waters, it is not uncommon to see creatures washed ashore.
“We encourage residents to report any findings to the council for them to be dealt with correctly and as quick as possible."
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