Basking Shark On Babylon Beach

A 20-foot-long basking shark washed ashore on a Long Island beach and apparently died.

Tracy Marcus of Cornell Cooperative Extension says the shark likely had some kind of illness.

There were reports that there were no propeller wounds that might have come from a boat, nor any puncture wounds but witnesses told the New York Post that the fish had a large gash in its belly.

The shark was first spotted by surfers at Gilgo State Park Beach at about 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday.

The basking shark, which are a common sight in the waters off Long Island, washed ashore on a town beach a few miles east of Jones Beach. Basking sharks are not considered dangerous. They eat plankton.

Marcus estimates the shark weighs about a ton. She says it is unusual for an ailing basking shark to come ashore. Usually they die in the ocean.