MAGNA, Utah-
A man from a small town near the Great Salt Lake in Utah stumbled upon something he said he could never have prepared himself for — a dead great white shark. 67-year old John Brownson said the shark was 10-12 feet long and looked like it had not been dead for long.
Above: Great white found on beach in Utah
Local police could not determine if the shark had been living in the lake or if pranksters had placed the shark. They also speculated it could have been held in a private aquarium (although white sharks have rarely survived captivity) and the owner could no longer care for the shark and released it into the Great Salt Lake.
One resident had previously called police during a windstorm saying he saw a strange fish-shaped object flying high through the sky. Police discounted that report at the time, and still remain extremely skeptical, but they will ask experts if a violent storm could have possibly carried the shark inland
“We are working on finding clues and have entertained every speculation no matter how far fetched it may seem, ” Captain Dayton said. “Of course, people have long reported sharks living in Salt Lake, but I’ve never personally seen one. But I don’t know. We’re going to leave the science to the scientists and we will only take action if somebody needs to go to jail for this.”
Above: John Brownson – man who found the great white
John Brownson has another theory. He believes aliens are behind it.
“I’ve been around this lake all my life. I’ve never seen a shark. This isn’t kids playing a prank. I think it has to be an alien thing. Don’t know why they would put a great white shark on our beach, but they must have a reason.”
A team of biologists from the University of Utah have been called and will soon examine the body of the shark in an attempt to solve the mystery. The scientists will first try to determine if the animal could have actually lived in the Great Salt Lake and, if so, they will immediately begin looking for others.
The various police forces of the area are now asking the public to report any shark sightings, dead or alive.
