A WHALE carcass washed ashore on Palm Island, in Queensland's north, has proved the perfect meal for a pack of hungry tiger sharks.

The whale was originally thought to be the famous white humpback, Migaloo but the carcass only appeared white because of sun bleaching, according to the Townsville Bulletin.

The headless, mostly white-coloured carcass was found in Onion Bay on the south-west side of the island, by local fishermen and has attracted a large pack of sharks to the area.

The Townsville Bulletin travelled to Palm Island yesterday and observed around 10 tiger sharks, some up to four metres in length, lifting their snouts out of the water and ripping huge mouthfuls of blubber off the decomposing carcass.

A loud chomping sound could be heard as the sharks tore at the flesh.

Palm Island resident Roland Coutts was fishing in the bay on Monday when he came across the sharks attacking the large carcass.

Read more, and see pictures, at the Townsville Bulletin.