Cause of death of white shark found on P.E.I. beach still a mystery

Investigators at the Atlantic Veterinary College still don't know what killed a juvenile great white shark found washed up on a P.E.I. beach this week, but they have ruled some things out.

A six-person team from the college performed a necropsy Tuesday morning.

"It  was a young, male white shark who was in really good nutritional condition," said  Megan Jones, regional director of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative at AVC.

The shark was found Monday along the beach at Greenwich, a part of P.E.I. National Park just north of St. Peter's Bay.

Early speculation was that the shark may have starved to death. Starvation is a hazard for young sharks who are growing into a new diet — from fish to aquatic mammals — while at the same time moving into new territory, from the eastern seaboard of the U.S. to more northern waters.

Identifying the nutritional condition of a shark is relatively easy, said Jones, because they store their fat in their liver.

"He had quite a big liver. He was in good condition — he had been eating."

The team also checked for signs of injury, in particular for evidence the shark may have become entangled in fishing gear, but no marks were found and the possibility of death from injuries was ruled out.

The team is continuing its investigation. Some causes of death still being explored include the possibility that the shark died from wandering into shallow water and getting stranded on the beach accidentally, or that the shark was killed by disease.