On Tuesday, the Orleans Police Department in Massachusetts received an unusual piece of news: A great white shark had mysteriously washed ashore in Cape Cod. Officials called local tow company Nauset Recovery Inc,

A great white shark that washed ashore at a Cape Cod beach earlier this week is named Koala, and was known to local researchers, investigators said. Its cause of death is still a mystery, as a necropsy was inconclusive.

Local shark researchers have performed a rare necropsy of a 12-foot great white shark that washed up dead on a Cape Cod beach. The mature male shark — previously identified as “Koala” in 2022 — was found on Nauset Beach earlier this week, and he was secured by officials from the town of Orleans and the Orleans Police Department.

There are no obvious signs of how or why a shark that washed up on a Cape Cod beach this week died, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy said Thursday, adding that this shark had been previously identified by the agency two years ago.

Massachusetts police had to call in a tow truck to remove a giant great white shark after it washed up dead on a beach in Cape Cod. It remains unclear how the 12 ft (3.6m) shark died, local officials say, but they have been able to identify the animal.

A necropsy was underway Wednesday to determine the animal's cause of death, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.