A great white shark has washed up dead on a B.C. beach.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) confirmed the male shark was found on the east coast of Haida Gwaii.
It is approximately 13.5 feet and a scientist was able to confirm the species by tooth shape and the shape of the tail fin.
The DFO said a conservation officer also collected tissue samples for research and to determine its cause of death.
The shark had been feeding on a seal, which is a common prey for the species but it is not know how it died.
The DFO said it often receives reports of sightings of what people think are great white sharks but often turn out to be its close relative – the salmon shark.
It said that great white sharks are rare in B.C. but not completely unheard of. It has received about half a dozen confirmed sightings over the years.
“Great white sharks are global in their distribution, in temperature or subtropical waters,” the DFO said.
“In the Pacific, they can be found from the Gulf of California up to the Gulf of Alaska, off of British Columbia, in outer coastal waters, there are only about a half dozen confirmed occurrences — from Esperanza Inlet, Hecate Strait and Haida Gwaii.”
The DFO said as the oceans warm from climate change, great white sharks are expected to increase in numbers off the B.C. coast.