Half a Shark Washes up on Australia Beach: 'Something Big Has Had a Nice Feed On It'

Mystery surrounds photos showing the remains of a shark that appeared to have been bitten in half by another creature, washed up on a beach in Australia.

The images taken on Bribie Island to the north of Moreton Bay, Queensland, in Australia's northeast, were shared on Facebook by the G'Day Adventure Tours agency on Monday. The company wrote: "Crazy seeing this on the beach today! Something big has had a nice feed on it." G'Day tours, which is based in Queensland, said the photos were captured on the top end of the island.

Members of the public can be seen standing by the shark's body, its grey skin appearing to have slightly shrivelled in death and its snout covered in blood.

In a comment beneath the post, one Facebook user claimed he saw the shark on the beach, as well as "an elegant sea snake on the shore." Others speculated as to what might have caused the animal's death.

Jason Brown, who owns G'Day, told The Daily Mail Australia that he was leading a four wheel drive tour of Bribie Island when he and six tourists encountered the shark.

Brown said: "The tourists all thought it was very cool as it's not something you see every day."

Colin Simpfendorfer, professor of marine biology in the College of Science and Engineering at James Cook University, told Australia's Nine.com.au news website it isn't clear how the shark died, and explained such injuries often happen after death. The outlet reported the creature appeared to be a bull shark.

Simpfendorfer said "many things could have bitten it," adding: "one question is whether it happen pre or post mortem."

"Other sharks are certainly a possibility. But if it happened after death a whole range of things would be possible," he said.

Brown told The Daily Mail Australia he believes the bull shark was eaten by a tiger shark, before it washed up on the beach.

The photo was released days after a shark attacked a seven-year-old girl near North West Island, off the coast of central Queensland on Wednesday, the Australian Associated Press agency reported, citing paramedics. The girl, from Brisbane,was bitten at around 5:30 p.m. on the back of her leg. She also suffered puncture wounds to her foot. The child was on holiday with her family at the time.

Paramedics said a registered nurse happened to be on the scene, and helped to stop the girl's bleeding. The girl was rushed to Bundaberg hospital, travelling 40 minutes by boat to Heron Island before being airlifted by helicopter to hospital.

This was the second rescue operation performed by the Bundaberg helicopter linked to a suspected shark attack in the same number of weeks, according to the news agency. On December 30, a shovel nose shark is thought to have injured a man's hand and knee. The victim was in his 30s.