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 great white shark described as “giant” appeared on a Cape Cod beach, and authorities took the unusual step of calling a flatbed tow truck to remove it. The discovery was made in Orleans, Massachusetts, about a 90-mile drive southeast from Boston, and police treated the shark like a stuck car.