A shark rarely seen by humans has washed up on the coast of County Wexford in the southeast of Ireland.
This ferocious shark, Odontaspis ferox, is rarely seen as it lives in waters deeper than 100 metres. This is the first time one has been found in Ireland, scientists say.
Scientists at Trinity College Dublin were surprised by the presence of the shark, a 4.3-metre female, since it was thought to be present only as far north as the Bay of Biscay.
A Swiss tourist stumbled upon the animal on Saturday.
A team of researchers from Trinity College and University College Dublin took biological samples from the shark to find out how it died.
Another shark of the same species washed up in southern England two weeks ago.
Fierce sharks are considered “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
