Hammerhead shark found buried on Fla. beach

The discovery of a dead shark on a Florida beach raised some questions Wednesday. Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had previously buried the 9-foot-long shark but learned it had been uncovered.

"FWC agents earlier this afternoon reburied this hammerhead that was found earlier today. We don't quite know who found the buried shark," WPTV reported.

Hammerhead sharks are a protected species in Florida. It's been a second-degree misdemeanor to kill a hammerhead shark in state waters since the beginning of 2012.

A declining population led the scalloped hammerhead shark -- one of 10 types of hammerhead sharks -- to be placed on the U.S. endangered species list. Scientific American reported that it's the first shark species on the list.

It wasn't reported what type of hammerhead shark was discovered buried on Jupiter Beach, but what is known is that officials first buried the shark after it died during a local catch-and-release tournament on Jan. 31.

Catching and releasing hammerhead sharks is still legal in Florida state waters, so the fishers were not fined by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

WPTV reported the FWC does plan to remove the hammerhead shark from the beach, but we don't yet know when that will happen.

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