Great White Shark Saved By Beachgoers On Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Here's a great white shark tale with a twist...

One of the magnificent creatures found itself helplessly beached in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on Monday.

But instead of fleeing, calm beachgoers sprang into action to aid the dazed beast, pushing water over its gills until it eventually showed signs of life.

Their brave efforts ultimately saved the predator from an almost certain death and when the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy arrived they were able to release it safely back into the ocean.

The shark was saved by people on the beach

Isabelle Hegland, a witness to the ordeal, told CBS Boston: "The shark was stuck there for a while in the sand, so then people got buckets and were trying keep it wet so it could continue to breathe,

"I was a little afraid, but I could tell it wasn’t moving anytime soon because the shore was going way out, it was approaching towards low tide so it was becoming increasingly difficult for the shark to keep its gills wet and be able to breathe."

Sharks are vital to the heath of the ocean and to the sustainability of the marine food chain. If they were to disappear, coral reefs would be severely effected.

According to the WWF Great White Sharks are a "vulnerable" species (file photo)

Great white sharks are listed as "vulnerable" (one step above endangered) by the World Wildlife Fund and one reason for this is humans hunting them for food and sport.

They are the largest predatory fish on Earth and they can grow to an average of 15 feet in size. The highly adapted predators have also got up to 300 sharp angled triangular teeth.

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