A hollow-eyed predator with spikes for teeth has washed up dead on North Carolina\u2019s Outer Banks, igniting a social media debate over the species.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely a shark, but what kind?\u201d Chris Patterson wrote on the OBX Outer Banks NC Facebook page.<\/p>\n
Lynsie McKeown of Virginia found the carcass near Salvo on Hatteras Island. She estimates it was about 5 feet, 9 inches long. Lynsie McKeown video screengrab <\/p>\n
Guesses have ranged from a thresher shark to a rarely seen goblin shark \u2013 two species that don\u2019t resemble each other.<\/p>\n
However, discrepancy is understandable due to the carcass coming ashore deflated, like a big creepy balloon with the air let out.<\/p>\n
Lynsie McKeown of Virginia found it while vacationing at the home of Kelly Wosahla in Salvo.<\/p>\n
She estimates it was about 5-feet, 9-inches long, the eyes were missing, and oddly, it was not emitting an odor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found it while walking on the beach Thursday (April 30) evening,\u201d she told The Charlotte Observer. \u201cI noticed a dark shape along the shoreline and walked over to it. … I was surprised how far up on the beach it was. I didn\u2019t see any obvious wounds.\u201d<\/p>\n
The North Carolina Shark Conservancy<\/a> saw her video on the OBX, Outer Banks NC Facebook page, and the nonprofit agency has identified the predator as a sand tiger shark.<\/p>\n