Incidents of whale sharks’ carcasses beaching on the shores of the sea have been unfortunately increasing. The reasons could vary. According to the latest report, a carcass of a male whale shark was found at the shoreline. The dead body of the fish species washed ashore at Rameswaram in Aatrangarai near Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. Pictures taken by locals and officials were shared on social media that showed the 21-foot-long whale shark. Postmortem performed on the carcasses revealed that the whale had suffered an internal injury, possibly after hitting a rock. Forest officials later buried the body in a pit after sprinkling bleaching powder and acid on it. Endangered Whale Shark, the Largest Fish on Earth, Spotted off Florida Coast; Check Pics and Videos. 

A Ramanathapuram forest range officer, S Sathish was quoted in TOI saying that “the 21-foot-long whale shark is estimated to be aged around 35 to 40 years and could have died three days ago as the carcass started to decay.” The dead body of the fish species was found on Saturday, June 6, 2020. Pictures show the carcass of the whale shark on the lying shoreline. With the help of a dozer, the fish was brought to the beach for inspection and further autopsy.

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The whale shark is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and also the most massive known extant fish. The whale shark holds many records for its size in the animal kingdom. According to official reports, there about 7,000 whale sharks living across the world. They prey on planktons and fish eggs. An adult whale shark is said to live up to 70 to 130 years.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 07, 2020 11:57 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).