Mako shark washes up dead on Barmouth beach, Wales

A massive shark has washed up on a Welsh beach - 7000 miles away from its natural habitat.

The huge Mako-type mackerel shark was found on Barmouth beach, western Wales, on Saturday afternoon.

Normally the fish are found in the Atlantic Ocean off the Argentinian coast, a whopping 6817 miles away from Wales.

Photographer Gwion Liggett, from Barmouth, Gwynedd, captured the amazing scene just a few hours after the shark was found.

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Gwion, 32, said: "It was such a massive beast.

"When I heard a shark had washed up nearby I just had to check it out for myself.

"I've never known anything like that come near here.

"It's unbelievably huge - I'd say about 3metres long.

"Unsurprisingly it had brought a large crowd to look around.

"People had said marine biologists had been down earlier yesterday to check it out.

"Unfortunately I've heard some 'treasure hunters' have been down and stolen the head."

Gwion has no idea how the shark had come to become washed up on the coast but thinks the shallow waters around the beach may have caused it to get stuck.

He said: "When I got to the shark, it still looked quite fresh.

"I'm no expert but it either got stranded or died out in the shallow waters as it wasn't decaying."