A deceased porpoise has been found on the Northumberland coast, just days after a shark washed up on the same beach. Just after 10am on Monday, the HM Coastguard was alerted to the porpoise, which had been discovered at Druridge Bay.
Coastguard response
An HM Coastguard spokesperson said: "At 10.01am this morning, Monday 28 September, HM Coastguard was made aware of a deceased porpoise at Druridge Bay, Northumberland. Amble Coastguard Rescue Team was called, along with British Divers Marine Life Rescue, and a report was made. The Receiver of Wreck was also notified."
Shark discovery confirmed real
Last week, a shark, believed to be a large porbeagle, was found in the same area. When a photo of the discovery was first shared online, people claimed that the image had been AI generated.
However, on Sunday afternoon British Divers Marine Life Rescue issued an update confirming that Marine Mammal Medics had attended the scene and confirmed the discovery was real. The shark has now been recovered ahead of examination.
In an online statement, a spokesperson for British Divers Marine Life Rescue said: "When a report of a stranded shark at Druridge Bay came in earlier this week, the initial photos had us dubious, as it looked like a terrible AI rendering. Our Marine Mammal Medics attended and confirmed it was a real, sadly deceased shark, appearing to be a large porbeagle with scavenger damage likely from seals."
"The shark has now been recovered and placed in cold storage, awaiting future examination by Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme- UK strandings. Hopefully a closer look will help piece together more of the story."
