Shored Shark Surprises and Stinks

Yesterday's shark shoring is pretty exciting, especially now that Gothamist knows the thing in the shark's mouth wasn't a big stuffed sock - it was actually his stomach! A helpful reader pointed out since there was a hook found in the shark, the shark probably died a "slow and painful death" (thanks to "an irresponsible and cruel fisherman") and had regurgitated its own stomach. Blech! The Daily News say a teenager saw the shark corpse in the surf and dragged it ashore, and one beachgoer said, "It was so stinky we couldn't think." The decaying shark had been dead for a few days, and a New York Aquarium shark researcher reassured people, "Blue sharks are not dangerous because you don't find them around people. You usually find them at sea." Authorities think a fisherman dumped the shark by the shore, and Newsday points out that "a person found responsible for illegally dumping on parks property could face a significant fine."

Photograph of kids touching the shark carcass ("Eww!! But cool!") from Newsday