Overview
- A male great white measuring about four metres and weighing 580 kilograms was found on a Caribou, Pictou County beach and reported by a local kayak group to authorities on Friday.
- Marine Animal Response Society technicians and Dr. Laura Bourque of the Canadian Wildlife Health Co-operative performed a necropsy the next day while the carcass was still fresh.
- The necropsy turned up no obvious cause of death and MARS says additional diagnostic testing has been sent to laboratories to seek answers.
- Scientists note more frequent great white sightings in Atlantic Canada are linked to legal protections that aided recovery and to warmer waters and abundant prey that allow the species to move northward.
- MARS urged rapid reporting of stranded or deceased marine animals so fresh samples can be collected, which improves the chance of learning about population health and threats for a protected species.