On Tuesday, the Orleans Police Department in Massachusetts received an unusual piece of news: A great white shark had mysteriously washed ashore in Cape Cod. Officials called local tow company Nauset Recovery Inc,

A great white shark that washed ashore at a Cape Cod beach earlier this week is named Koala, and was known to local researchers, investigators said. Its cause of death is still a mystery, as a necropsy was inconclusive.

Local shark researchers have performed a rare necropsy of a 12-foot great white shark that washed up dead on a Cape Cod beach. The mature male shark — previously identified as “Koala” in 2022 — was found on Nauset Beach earlier this week, and he was secured by officials from the town of Orleans and the Orleans Police Department.

A “giant” shark was recently found washed up on a Cape Cod beach, prompting police to call in a tow truck to haul away the predator’s remains.

Atlantic white sharks usually begin heading south from Cape Cod waters in October, but there are still some out there in our local waters.