A Shark and a two foot skeleton found on Formby beach this weekend

The body of a shark was found washed up on Formby beach on Saturday.

The discovery was made on Saturday 10th June by Mike Golly. Mike, who has been a resident in Formby for 28 years said: "I could see it was dead but wasn't sure if it was a shark so I rolled it over to check the mouth underneath. I didn't expect to see a shark on the beach though!"

Experts believe the stricken fish was the common smooth-hound breed of shark, which is commonly found in the Irish Sea.

A Sefton council spokesman said: “This is a small species of shark often found in Liverpool Bay and of no threat to people at all. Smooth-hounds often search for food in the shallow channels and it appears this one may have become stranded as the tide went out.”

Common smooth-hound sharks can measure more than a metre in length and are found in the Atlantic Ocean, around the British Isles and in the Mediterranean. They can swim to depths of up to 50m.

On Sunday 11th June, Derek Ferguson was walking along Formby beach and came across a skeleton that was approximately 2 feet in length.

According to the experts, this could be a Skate or Ray which are actually quite common on our shores.

Have you ever found anything unusual on Formby beach? If so, we would love to hear about it. Email: info@formbybubble.com