THE body of a shark born when King Henry VIII was on the throne has been discovered off the Cornish coast.
The Greenland shark was spotted by a walker on a beach at Newlyn Harbour, Cornwall, on Sunday.
This rare shark species has the longest known lifespan of all vertebrates at between 250 and 500 years.
Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Marine Strandings Network was contacted and arrived at the beach within an hour but the tide had come in and washed the shark back out into the sea.
An urgent appeal to search for the shark was raised, with a crew from Mermaid Pleasure Trips managing to find the shark on Wednesday and taking it ashore.
Marine Strandings Network thanked the crew for their efforts.
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They said: “We are absolutely delighted to update you that the superb crew from Mermaid Pleasure Trips, Penzance, Trev and Kingsley, this evening found and brought ashore the dead Greenland shark which previously stranded on Sunday and then washed back out to sea.
“Well well done Trev and Kingsley you complete legends!”
Greenland sharks are native to the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans but can be found in very deep waters around the UK.
However, the Marine Conservation Society says it is very rare for humans to come across them in British waters.
Prior to this shark there has only ever been one Greenland shark found in UK waters – but it was also found dead in 2013.
A spokesman for Mermaid Pleasure Trips, said: “Well yesterday evening turned into quite the eventful trip for the crew onboard the Vanessa Jane.
“A Greenland shark has the longest known lifespan of all vertebrate species estimated to be between 250 and 500 years.
“Cast your minds back in time a few hundred years.
“Around about the time Henry the VIII was getting bored of his first wife this shark was just being born.
“The crew managed to safely get a tow established with the shark and bring the shark gently back into the harbour.
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“It was then handed over to the team at Marine Strandings Network to be sent off for a Post Mortem to hopefully establish the facts and figures about this gracious granddad/grandma shark.”
Marine Strandings Network added: “And please remember to always call our Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network hotline whenever you find a dead stranded animal around our coastline ! 0345 2012626.”
