The body of a young female whale shark washed up on a beach in Sayalkudi in Ramanathapuram district, India on Thursday (June 4).

Footage shows the whale carcass being dragged from the shoreline by rangers.

Sayalkudi ranger, Sikkandar Bacha said: "a postmortem conducted on the carcass had revealed that the whale shark had internal bleeding, which might have been caused after it hit a rock in the sea."

The young whale shark was about 3.75m in length and 2.80m in circumference.The carcass of a female whale shark, weighing around one-and-a half tonne, washed ashore in Sayalkudi in Ramanathapuram district on Thursday.
Sayalkudi ranger Sikkandar Bacha said a postmortem conducted on the carcass had revealed that the whale shark had internal bleeding, which might have been caused after it hit a rock in the sea. Fishermen in Mookaiyoor near Sayalkudi saw the carcass floating, which later washed ashore.Contrary to its name the whale shark is not a whale.It is a fish in fact, it is the largest fish in the world. It can grow up to a length of 60ft.