A New York subway conductor made a surprising and totally unusual discovery. Hidden away from view under the seat of one of the trains, someone had left a small shark, which was obviously found lifeless.
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The shark quickly became a star on the web
Before it was discovered by the ticket inspector on one of the lines serving the Queens district, and well before it was thrown away, the abandoned shark attracted the attention of passengers who were quick to take some photos of the animal. Surprised to see the shark lying on the ground in the subway, some New Yorkers did not hesitate to take pictures to immortalise the scene.
Mary M., one of the many amateur photographers who took pictures of the shark and sent them to gothamist.com, said:
As soon as I entered the train, an unusual smell surprised me. Then when I looked more closely, I realised that a dead shark had been left on the floor. It was the most incredible thing I've seen in the fifteen years I've been taking the subway. And I’ve seen it all.
Photographed from all angles, the New York subway shark soon went viral on the web, especially after a few inspired photographers had the idea of photographing it with a cigarette in its mouth and a beer can next to it.
‘We all cried out: “That's our shark!”’
Until Thursday, when gothamist.com provided an explanation, no one knew why or how the shark had gotten there. According to the blog, a New Yorker was able to identify the dead animal with the help of a photo showing it in his daughter's arms at Coney Island.
The man told the website:
My neighbour, who took the photo, texted me to say how brave my daughter was because she was holding the shark in her arms while the boys were afraid to even go near it.
We couldn't believe it when we saw the news on TV. We all cried out: 'That’s our shark!'
