28-Foot Basking Shark Carcass Washes Ashore In Rhode Island [VIDEO]

Beachgoers in Rhode Island caught an up-close glimpse of a deep sea dweller after the 28-foot body of a basking shark washed ashore.

Basking sharks are the second largest fish in the oceans, behind the whale shark.

The fish carcass was found by locals visiting Misquamicut beach area of Westerly, R.I., early Sunday morning, causing somewhat of a public spectacle as people stopped to touch and snap photos of the dead fish.

Staff from Connecticut's Mystic Aquarium were sent to investigate the scene. A necropsy of the shark will be performed by a biologist at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, according to local newspaper The Day.

Tracy Marcus, of the Cornell Cooperative Extension, said to CBS news that after a preliminary investigation of the shark carcass she did see some evidence of a boat strike, but no injuries that would have killed the animal.

After the cause of death is determined, the shark will be burried in nearby sand dunes, CBS reported in the video below. 

The giant fish are common to New England waters, where they swim with mouths wide open to catch the tiny plankton they feed upon. By swimming slowly with jaws agape, the fish allow as much as 1,800 tons of water pass through their filtering system each hour, where membranes trap plankton and other small creatures.