The carcass of an 11m/36' Whale shark was brought into Karachi harbour in Pakistan last week.
A crowd of onlookers watched two cranes attempt to lift the massive fish onto dry land, but more cranes, capable of lifting heavier weights had to be called in.
The body of the female shark had been spotted in the open sea by fishermen.
Karachi Fish Harbour Authority (KFHA) said the carcass weighed 14.5 tonnes.
A team from the Pakistan Museum of Natural History is supervising its dissection with samples being taken to ascertain the cause of death. It's also hoped that the shark can be reconstructed using the tanned and chemically-processed skin which would be put onto a specially designed frame, to preserve it at the museum.
The Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the world's largest fish. It's a filter feeding shark and a docile fish despite its huge mouth which can measure 1.5m/4.9' wide. The largest confirmed specimen was 12.65m/41.5' with a weight of over 21.5 tonnes/47,000 lb.
The species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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