Nature is just full of surprises and you never know what you might encounter in the animal world. While sharks are considered the prime predators of the sea, one recently bit off more than it could chew, literally.

A male shark was recently found washed ashore on Coronation Beach in West Australia.

While it is not uncommon for sharks to wash ashore, this one was a little more interesting than others.

Although the shark was dead when it was found, it had been spotted several times beforehand.

One witness even captured a video of the shark, which appeared to be struggling but had no signs of a physical injury.

You could say its fate was sealed… Great White Shark chokes to death on sea lion http://t.co/RgouOZAGij pic.twitter.com/OwG5ygcBBh

— Canoe (@Canoe) July 17, 2014

The state’s Department of Fisheries determined that the shark was behaving so strangely because it had a large sea lion stuck in its throat and may have been choking. The shark was struggling to dislodge the sea lion, which is why it thrashed around so violently.

“This could explain why the shark was exhibiting such unusual behavior in shallow waters,” Dr McAuley said.

“It is possible that the shark was trying to dislodge the blockage.”

Unfortunately, the shark may have gotten stranded or beached itself while working so hard to get the sea lion out of its throat

Not everyone in Australia finds the death of a shark disappointing. Many people living in Australia know the dangers of swimming in shark-infested waters and are working to eliminate large sharks from popular beaches.

The government started a shark culling campaign last year that it also plans to run this year. The campaign is an effort to make the beaches in Australia safer for everyone, but many people are against it and some even call it cruel.

What do you think of the choking shark and Australia’s shark culling campaign?

Image via Wikimedia Commons