It's not clear how or when it was killed, but police were called to a downtown Miami street when a five-to-six-foot shark was found lying in the middle of it.
News footage Tuesday night showed the dead animal in the street with police officers and cruisers nearby. Two TV stations reported that a pair of men had tried to sell the animal to at least three fish markets for around $10.
The men apparently carried the five or six-foot-long fish around on the city's Metromover downtown train, prompting calls to police.
Rob Orta, an employee at Casablanca Fish Market, told WSVN that the men offered his business the shark. "But we don't buy sharks off the street," Orta said.
Wildlife officials later determined the animal was a nurse shark. The case could result in misdemeanor charges of improper killing and disposal of an animal and selling a shark without a license.
One resident of the area where the shark was dumped said he didn't know what was going on at first.
"It was a relief that it was a shark," said Keith Smith. "When I first saw it, I thought it was a body because of all the shootings that have been going on."