Great white shark washes up on B.C. shore [Video]

In a rare occurrence, a bona fide great white shark washed up on a B.C. beach this week.

The apex predator was found dead on Haida Gwaii Thursday and a scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada confirmed it to be a Carcharodon carcharias, or great white. The scientist identified the shark species by examining its teeth and the shape of its tail fin.

The animal is male and measures approximately 13.5 feet long, according to the DFO. Examinations revealed the shark had been eating a seal, a common food for great whites. A conservation officer also collected tissue samples from the shark for research purposes.

Great white shark sightings are rare in British Columbia, but not unheard of, a spokesperson for the federal agency told CTV News in an email.

Great whites swim in temperate and subtropical waters around the world, the DFO said. In the Pacific Ocean, the creatures …