Massive dead basking shark makes return appearance in Boston Harbor
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The carcass of a basking shark at least 24-feet long first seen stuck to the bow of a container ship in Boston Harbor more than two weeks ago has resurfaced.
A New England Aquarium spokesman says officials at first weren't sure what kind of marine creature was spotted Tuesday in an arm of the harbor known as the Reserved Channel.
Maybe a basking shark? pic.twitter.com/AY4XGwCiDp
— John GrelandBPD (@captaingreland) May 31, 2016
Tony Lacasse says aquarium biologists who went to scene quickly determined it was a shark based on its cartilaginous fins.
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It's unclear if the creature was killed by the ship strike or was already dead. It probably weighed three to five tons when alive.
Basking sharks, the world's second-largest sharks, feed on plankton and are generally harmless to humans. Because of their prominent dorsal fin they are often confused with great whites.