A Wednesday necropsy, led by Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries scientist Greg Skomal, found no signs of the shark being hooked, either, and uncovered no definitive signs of trauma. As such, its results were inconclusive, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy says in a Facebook post.

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.

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.