A basking shark, like the one that washed ashore in Westerly. Image from flickr.com
WPRO Newsroom and the Associated Press
WESTERLY, R.I. (AP) – A 28-foot-long dead basking shark has washed ashore on a Rhode Island beach.
The Day of New London (Conn.) reports that a homeowner in the Misquamicut beach area of Westerly reported the shark to police on Sunday morning.
Biologists with the Northeast Fisheries Science Center are expected to perform a necropsy to determine the cause of death.
The shark has been attracting curious onlookers who have stopped to take photos and touch it.
According to Mystic Aquarium, which sent staff members to the scene, basking sharks are giant fish that feed on nothing but plankton. They are common in New England waters.
