Great white shark found on beach

NANTUCKET, Mass., July 16 (UPI) -- Experts say they have a rare opportunity to study a 6 1/2-foot great white shark after a carcass was found on a shore in Massachusetts.

Lisa Capone, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said the Monday finding offers experts an "opportunity to try to learn something," The Boston Globe reported.

A Division of Marine Fisheries confirmed Tuesday the fish found on a beach in Nantucket, Mass., is a great white.

State experts and scientists from the National Marine Fisheries Service prepared Wednesday to examine the carcass and learn how the animal died, Capone told the newspaper.

Massachusetts shark specialist Greg Skomal said great whites can be difficult to observe in the Atlantic because they usually swim long distances from shore.

"It's really a problem for scientists trying to study the shark," he added.