A Chinese fisherman went to extraordinary lengths to transport his huge catch home, precariously tying a two-tonne whale shark to his flimsy truck.
Cai Chengzhu believed he had caught a "sea monster" and reported it to police - unaware it is an endangered and protected species.
Onlookers stood to take photos of the beast in Yangzhi county, Fujian province, before fishing officials stepped in.
He told the Shanghaiist that the giant fish had attempted to get inside his nets to eat his catch and died whilst trying to escape.
Cai and his colleagues may have been trying to sell the whale shark.
Whale sharks are the largest known species of fish and can grow up to 21.5 metres in length and weigh more than 21.5 metric tonnes.
Despite their size and predatory appearance, whale sharks are actually very docile and feed on small larvae, plankton and algae.