Recently a Great White washed up on an Australian beach and experts believe the reason the shark came to the shore is because it choked on a sea lion.

Great White sharks prey on a wide variety of marine mammals. Recently a Great White washed up on an Australian beach and experts believe the reason the shark came to the shore is because it choked on a sea lion.

The 13-foot long shark was first spotted thrashing in the shallow waters of Coronation Beach by beachgoers.

Some of them saw a fishing tag sticking out of the shark’s side.

Initially, people thought the creature was bothered by the tag. However The Western Australia Department of Fisheries launched an investigation into the Great White’s death and came to a different conclusion.

Staffers immediately noticed the shark didn’t have any obvious signs of injury or disease. A little more probing revealed the creature appeared to have a sea lion stuck in its throat.

Principal Research Scientist Dr Rory McAuley explained “Such a large object may have damaged the shark’s internal organs or impeded water flow into his gills, contributing to his death. Alternatively, the shark may have accidentally become stranded in his attempts to get rid of the obstruction.”