A great white shark that washed up dead near Geraldton on Monday apparently died because it had a sea lion stuck in its throat.

A GREAT white shark that washed up dead near Geraldton on Monday apparently died because it had a sea lion stuck in its throat.

The four-metre shark was found dead on Coronation Beach, 28km north of Geraldton, on Sunday, two days after it was filmed thrashing around in the shallows just one metre from shore.

Department of Fisheries principal research scientist Dr Rory McAuley said the shark had no visible signs of injury, but did appear to have a large Australian sea lion stuck in its throat.

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

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

Beachgoers who saw the shark’s strange behaviour on Saturday noted that it had been tagged, and speculated whether that could be the cause for its distress.

A video of the strange display, posted on Saturday, has already amassed more than 18,000 views.

Dr McAuley said the shark had been tagged off the South Australian coast in January.

But he said it most likely died because it bit off more than it could chew.

“Such a large object may have damaged the shark’s internal organs or impeded water flow into his gills, contributing to his death,” Dr McAuley said.

“Alternatively, the shark may have accidentally become stranded in his attempts to get rid of the obstruction.”

The Department has downloaded the information from the shark’s tracking device and taken tissue and vertebrae samples for research purposes.