SHARM EL-SHEIKH: A six-meter whale shark weighing three tons that got lost in the Red Sea was found dead on the beach at an Egyptian fishing town, filling local fishermen with fear, they said on Friday.
The whale shark was found dead in Mezeina on Thursday, said Gomaa Salman, a local Bedouin fisherman.
It got lost and was badly injured, probably because it had collided with boats in the area, he told AFP.
Whale sharks, which can grow up to 12 meters long, are the largest fish on the planet and defy the image of a blood-lusting man-eating monster, surviving only on plankton.
The gentle giant had been heading to the Arabian Gulf but strayed off course and made its first appearance in the sea near Mezeina, sending the town s terrified fishermen scurrying for the shore, according to Salman.
The fish is thought to have died shortly after being beached, as marine animals bodies suffer rapid deterioration once out of water, Mohammed Salem, director of South Sinai protectorates, told AFP. -AFP
