It's the cycle of life but it's also why beaches, sometimes, are closed.
Peppermint Grove Beach is a residential subdivision and beachside town in the south-west region of Western Australia, not far from Bunbury.
Photographer Frank Eckler captured these images of a 4.5 metre white shark chomping on the 9.5 metre whale carcass last week.
The Department of Fisheries officers were able to tag and release a white shark which was in the area of the carcass.
A Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development spokesman said it was possible the decomposing carcass would attract sharks closer to shore.
The dramatic image, though hundreds of kilometres away, was taken on the same day surfer Andrew Sharpe was bitten by a shark at Kelp Beds Beach near Esperance.
Fellow surfers paddled out to try to save him, according to reports, while witnesses have described the attack and seeing blood in the water.
Another surfer tried to pull him from the water but was unable to do so.
The man's surfboard and pieces of wetsuit have been recovered, but searchers including police divers, surf life savers, the State Emergency Service and an underwater vehicle team have been unable to locate Mr Sharpe.
READ MORE:
