ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – A 14-foot great hammerhead shark washed up on an Alabama beach Thursday and researchers later found out the dead shark was pregnant.
Video showing the hammerhead can be seen in the media player at the top of this article. Viewer discretion is advised.
“While it is sad, it is very rare to find a large pregnant female, and the data collected will be tremendously helpful in learning about Great Hammerhead fecundity,” the City of Orange Beach Coastal Resources said in a Facebook post.
Fecundity is a biological term used to describe the ability to produce offspring.
Researchers still haven’t determined the cause of death but did confirm the hammerhead was pregnant with 40 shark pups.
“We are very thankful that our staff was able to get the shark off of the beach, protected from the elements, and iced down within a few short hours of the initial call. This was definitely an experience that we won’t forget, and we are grateful to have played a small role in this unique case,” coastal resources officials said.
Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology sent a team to perform a necropsy on the shark, according to the Facebook post.