A large hammerhead shark washed up on a US beach was pregnant with dozens of pups, researchers have found.
The 4.2 metre shark's body was found on Orange Beach in Alabama, late last week.
"While it was very sad that it passed, we were excited about the rare opportunity of seeing a Great hammerhead in such good condition," a post on the City of Orange Beach Coastal Resources' Facebook page said.
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The Coastal Resources team contacted a Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology researcher, who sent a team to perform a necropsy on the shark.
It was found to be pregnant with 40 pups.
"While it is sad, it is very rare to find a large pregnant female, and the data collected will be tremendously helpful in learning about great hammerhead fecundity," the Coastal Resources post said.
The shark's cause of death has not been determined.
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