A 30-feet whale shark was found dead on the Arabian Sea coast near Sarakhadi village in Kodinar taluka of Saurashtra district recently.
Dinesh Goswami of a local nature club said here today that it had been lying there in a decomposed state for five to six days.
Along with other members of his club, Goswami rushed to the spot and informed forest department officials who got a veterinary doctor to conduct a post mortem on it.
They used cranes to lift the creature which weighed three tonnes.
The exact cause of its death would be known only after receipt of the postmortem report, Goswami said, though it is believed that its death occurred due to natural causes.
It is illegal to hunt whale sharks in India.
Whale sharks, which are the world's largest fish found in warm and tropical waters, are generally docile creatures.
