{"id":221622,"date":"2025-10-24T01:53:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T01:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/221622\/"},"modified":"2025-10-24T01:53:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T01:53:13","slug":"6ft-shark-discovered-washed-up-near-shore-on-scots-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/221622\/","title":{"rendered":"6ft shark discovered washed up near shore on Scots coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

Annemarie Simpson, 40, was left stunned after she discovered the porbeagle shark while out walking in Wick at around 4.30pm on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

11:20, 23 Oct 2025Updated 11:39, 23 Oct 2025<\/p>\n

\"TheThe shark was discovered near the shore in Wick(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

A huge six-foot shark<\/a> has been discovered washed up dead on rocks in Caithness.<\/p>\n

Annemarie Simpson, 40, was left stunned after she discovered the porbeagle shark<\/a> while out walking<\/a> in Wick. Annemarie, who is from nearby Papigoe, was travelling along a scenic coastal route when she discovered the beast at around 4.30pm on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

In pictures shared with the Record, the bloodied animal<\/a> could be seen laid on an area of flat rocks near the shore. The social care assistant measured the shark<\/a> at five feet 10 inches before reporting the find to marine authorities.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe shark was found bloodied lying on rocks(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

Speaking to the Record, Annemarie said: “We live in Papigoe and walk this route daily. It\u2019s not uncommon to find a porpoise or a Risso’s dolphin on the shore in Caithness – but a porbeagle shark, although known in our waters, is definitely a much rarer find onshore.<\/p>\n

“I often look at the shore to see what\u2019s been washed in but it’s usually just rope, wood and creels but I spotted a fin on the rocks, its tail was vertical indicating a shark rather than the more commonly found porpoise or risso so excitedly I called to my partner Kev and we went to explore a bit closer.<\/p>\n

\"AnnemarieAnnemarie picture with her partner Kevin Stewart(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

“I presume it washed up already dead it is very fresh. There\u2019s no obvious wounds. I suspect the blood is from being thrown on the rocks and in the early stage of decomposition.”<\/p>\n

Porbeagle sharks are among the most powerful marine predators<\/a> found in northern Scottish waters. Native to the North Atlantic, the porbeagle is a close relative of the great white, thriving in the cool, temperate seas around the British Isles.<\/p>\n

\"AnnmarieAnnmarie was left stunned by the find(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

Known for their torpedo-shaped bodies and muscular build, they are built for speed, capable of sudden bursts to chase down prey such as mackerel, herring and squid.<\/p>\n

Porbeagles are regularly recorded off the north and west coasts of Scotland, including the Pentland Firth and waters around Caithness, Orkney and Shetland<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe find was reported to the relevant authorities(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

Annemarie added: “It was an exciting find and interesting to see in the flesh – although I much prefer seeing them alive in the sea where they belong.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s attracting a fair crowd, the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme are coming out later to take a sample to get more information on cause of death, condition and age.”<\/p>\n

The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme have been contacted by the Record for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Annemarie Simpson, 40, was left stunned after she discovered the porbeagle shark while out walking in Wick at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":221623,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[2851,90,56,54,55,94647,4407],"class_list":{"0":"post-221622","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-animals","9":"tag-science","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom","13":"tag-walking-and-climbing","14":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221622\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}