6-foot shark found on Cape Cod beach with its mouth wide open. What killed it? 

A 6-foot, fully intact shark was found Sunday on a Cape Cod beach with its reddened mouth open and jagged teeth exposed.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy posted a photo of the odd discovery on Facebook and noted the dead shark was discovered about a half mile north of Marconi Beach on Cape Cod.

It was identified as a porbeagle shark, the nonprofit said in a Facebook post.

“Cause of death unknown,” the post said. “The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has been notified.”

Porbeagle experts at the Sulikowski Shark and Fish Conservation Lab told McClatchy news group the shark looked like “a fresh specimen” that hadn’t been dead long.

Hundreds have joined a social media debate on what might have killed the shark, including some who suggested it accidentally beached itself chasing prey or got something stuck in its throat, like a large hook. Many have noted it looks “well fed.”

The porbeagle is a warm-blooded coastal species of shark known to grow up to nearly 7 feet in length and live nearly 50 years, according to Oceana.org. However, the largest on record was nearly 12 feet, the organization says.

The photo does not show any wounds on the shark, though its open mouth appears to be circled in a reddish color.

Geovani Alves of Framingham, Massachusetts, was the first to report the shark, which he saw washing toward shore about 11:30 a.m. Sunday, The Cape Cod Times reports.

Alves, who was paragliding in the area, said he tried to force “the shark back into the water, but the surf washed it back onto the beach,” the newspaper reported.

This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 5:15 AM with the headline "6-foot shark found on Cape Cod beach with its mouth wide open. What killed it? ."