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.

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.