POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — Editor's note: The hammerhead in the photo above is not the same as the one mentioned in the story below.
Wildlife authorities are still trying to piece together why an 11-foot hammerhead shark carcass washed ashore at a South Florida beach.
CBS Miami reports that the 11-foot shark was spotted Wednesday morning in Pompano Beach. According to WPLG, heavy equipment was brought in to remove the roughly 500-pound apex predator.
The cause of death is still unknown. According to CBS Miami, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has taken over the investigation.
According to WPLG, the hammerhead was a female.
“There is some fishing line in her gills, and from earlier pictures, there was a large hook in the side of her mouth, which indicates she was probably involved in fishing,” conservation scientist Hannah Medd, who founded the nonprofit American Shark Conservancy, told WPLG.
Hammerhead sharks are unique for their wide-shaped head. According to scientists, the distinct feature improves their ability to find prey, helping them get a better visual range than most other sharks.
In the wild, National Geographic says hammerheads typically live 20-30 years and can grow as long as 20 feet, weighing in at as much as 1,000 pounds.
Generally speaking, hammerheads stay away from humans and few attacks have ever been reported, National Geographic explains. The publication says hammerheads usually live in tropical and temperate waters. They can sometimes be seen migrating in search of slightly cooler waters to swim during the summer months. National Geographic says their particularly tall, pointed dorsal fins are hard to miss.
