A dead shark found in Ayr, Queensland, Australia after Cyclone Debbie made landfall this week (Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Twitter)

The Australian state of Queensland was hit hard this week by a vicious tropical cyclone. And while there has been property damage, thankfully no one was seriously injured by Cyclone Debbie. Well, no one, unless you count this 5-foot long shark that was found dead this morning near the floodwaters.




The bull shark was found in a puddle in the town of Ayr, just north of where Cylcone Debbie made landfall. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services shared photos of the poor shark on Twitter, warning people to stay out of the flood waters that are currently swamping the area.

But nobody seems to want to call this what it is: a real life sharknado. The sharknado is, of course, when a cyclone that has become infested with sharks exacts destruction on a populated area. The rare phenomenon gained public attention after the 2013 documentary Sharknado.


Heavy rains are continuing in the region and emergency crews are still performing rescue operations for people trapped in the flooding. The hardest hit areas of Queensland have seen over 15 inches of rain and roughly 50,000 homes have been without power. As many as 400 schools will remain closed tomorrow.

Sharks and schools aside, Australians were perhaps most devastated when they learned that the chaos of Cyclone Debbie had caused the beloved XXXX Brewery to catch fire on Tuesday. But Australians have been told not to worry—the fire won’t affect the beer supply.

Which is good. Because after the flood water recedes everyone is going to need a drink to tell the story of where they were when a sharknado hit Australia. Because it did. This was a sharknado. Don’t question science.

[7 News Australia]