9-foot shark turned up dead on a Massachusetts beach, its face mysteriously red

A mystery presented itself early Thursday on Cape Cod, when a 9-foot shark turned up with a distinctly red hue to its face and underside.

The Massachusetts Environmental Police tweeted out photos saying it had washed ashore in Truro.

A team of scientists performed a necropsy on the shark, a juvenile male, as it sat on the beach, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy posted on Facebook. They found one distinct abnormality: It had three lead weights inside it, the conservancy’s post said.

Researchers from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fishers and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration took samples from the carcass for study, the conservancy added.

Authorities did not offer theories on what killed the shark or what caused its distinct coloration. The conservancy also did not say who found the shark, but added that it was discovered alongside the Pamet River in Truro.

The waters off Massachusetts’ coast have been rife with great white shark activity in recent weeks, including an Aug. 15 shark bite off Truro, reported NBCBoston.

The victim, a 61-year-old New York man, survived after being flown to a trauma center with bites to his leg and hip, reported the Cape Cod Times.

Multiple videos have surfaced in recent weeks on social media showing great white sharks attacking and eating seals or biting fish off fishing lines as they were being reeled into boats.

This story was originally published August 23, 2018 at 3:20 PM with the headline "9-foot shark turned up dead on a Massachusetts beach, its face mysteriously red."