Marine authorities to investigate what killed 1.4m baby great white shark found on the beach

A BABY great white shark found dying on a South Coast beach recently has sparked an investigation by marine authorities. The discovery comes amid several shark sightings in the last few days.

The baby great white that washed onto Washerwomans Beach. Picture: Lekshe Losal

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A BABY great white shark found dying on a South Coast beach recently has sparked an investigation by marine authorities.

The discovery comes amid several shark sightings at Bendalong, 130km south of Wollongong, with local surfers believing they may have seen the very young shark’s mother two days earlier.

The baby great white measured 1.4m, about the size at which the sharks are born, and was found barely alive by locals on Washerwomans Beach on June 23.

Marine authorities are investigating the death of the shark. Picture: Olivia Chopping

Exhausted but with its gills still moving, a surfer dragged the miniature predator back into the water.

But it washed on to the beach again and was rem­oved the next morning.

“It’s not common for sharks to be found like this,” a Primary Industries Department spokeswoman said. “The reason why the shark was washed up on the beach is unknown, however, there was no obvious damage to the shark.

“It is unknown whether the shark died in the water and washed ashore or beached itself.”

An autopsy will be carried out by departmental shark scientists to determine the potential cause of death.

Locals posed with the dead shark. Picture: Jenny Evans

Locals have made several shark sightings in the last few days. Picture: Jenny Evans

Bendalong surfer Lee ­Roland said he and other surfers have been forced to leave the water on three ­occasions in the past week because of great white sightings. “There has been a lot of baitfish around and so we are thinking the sharks are chasing them,” he said.

The shark weighed about 30kg and is considered very young, possibly newborn. Mr Roland believes he may have spotted the shark’s 4m-long mother two days before.

Shark expert and marine ecologist Guy Graham said great whites, which hatch from an egg inside their mothers, sometimes eat their siblings in utero. They are on their own immediately after birth and start to hunt fish and squid.

He said the dead shark’s body will be “invaluable” to researchers studying sharks.

The death of a mako shark at Bondi on June 16 is also being investigated.