The shark, which was spotted feeding on a whale in Kennebunk, isn’t tagged, scientists say.
The retired captain of a charter fishing boat in southern Maine captured some incredible images of a shark feeding on a whale carcass off the coast of Drake's Island in Wells on Friday morning.
"It's kind of a cool thing. Fun to watch," said Steve Brettell, who snapped the photos.
Brettell, who ran a charter fishing business for over 30 years before retiring last year, said he was heading out to check some lobster traps when he got a call from a friend who said there was a dead whale a couple miles away with several sharks around it.
By the time he got there, Bretell said he only saw one shark around the whale.
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"I was there about a half hour," he said. "He just circled around, circled around and every once in a while he'd come up and take a bite. It was fun to watch. He was a big guy."
Brettell said what was left of the whale eventually washed ashore at Mother's Beach in Kennebunk on Friday afternoon -- "right in the middle of a million people."
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The exact species of shark is not yet known, but speculation among residents is that it was either a porbeagle or a great white.
Police said no beaches were closed in either town.
You can see more images of the shark below:
