What's eaten this seal in the UK ?

[Roddy Hays]

Got some pictures from a UK friend this morning, asking if i could help identify the culprit that might have attacked this grey seal last weekend on a popular surfing beach in north Cornwall. Porbeagles are known to frequent the area and are a popular angling target, and there have been at least two sightings of a possible great white there in the past five years - some commercial fishermen also think they have seen a tiger there too. Unfortunately scientists in general have refuted the claims of the fishermen and insisted that a porbeagle was the basis of all of the sightings.

Water temperature right now is about 50˚.

Don't think the bite is a mako, radius is too wide, and I'm not sure that an orca would do this - not enough damage and I'd think it would have eaten the rest.

Thoughts ?

[bigfish4me]

Really only 2 sharks on your list that have teeth designed to take a clean bite like that.....either a white or a tiger, the water temp would suggest a white.

[aloop]

Some sort of virus infection? The ribs don't look marked by anything as sharp teeth!

[marlineer]

Looks more post-mortem. There are no teeth marks or tears that I can see. Mabey it became bloated after death and the scavengers opened it up. Just a thought!

[HOLWACHAGOT]

Looks like post mortem decomp to me. "How did the stones get on top of the seal?"...That's what I want to know.
Holwachagot

[colorado]

drunk scottish tourist