We’re used to seeing the odd bit of litter, seaweed and shells wash up on the shoreline, but a 15ft great white shark which has taken a beating off a bigger and more brutal underwater beast is a new one.

But that’s what beachgoers in South Africa’s Eastern Cape stumbled across on 28 May while visiting the water near the mouth of the Nyara River.

A local spotted the fearsome great white shark – which is the largest predatory fish in the world – looking worse for wear on the sands before realising it appeared to have been savaged shortly after eating its lunch.

In what can only be described as a stark reminder of the hierarchy in the animal kingdom, it was later found that the shark’s mangled corpse also contained the remains of a common dolphin in its stomach.

But shortly after taking a snack break, it seems that the predator ran into the head honcho of the underwater world, AKA a killer whale, and met its maker.

The great white’s liver had been torn out in the brawl, which suggested that only a bigger and stronger beast could be capable of causing that much damage to one of the most fearsome creatures in the ocean.

Marine biologist Alison Towner shared images of the shocking find on social media and confirmed she subsequently found ‘a freshly consumed’ 6ft 6in common dolphin spilling out of its guts too.

She explained that the shark had neatly devoured its dinner in four clean pieces, which were swallowed hole, resulting in the carcass being folded up inside its stomach.

Experts were able to piece the dolphin back together as the deadly attack had happened so soon after it had been gobbled up, while they also found key evidence which helped decipher what had taken out the shark.

The mangled corpse of the great white shark washed up in South Africa (Instagram/alisontowner)

In an Instagram post, Towner confirmed that the great white had been a victim of ‘killer whale predation’.

She explained: “Killer whale rake (teeth) marks were found on the ventral surface of the shark’s head.

“The shark’s liver was missing, with only a small piece of tissue remaining.”

Scientists reckon that orcas might be targeting the beasts for their livers – as they’ve been filmed victoriously carrying them in their mouths after ambushing unsuspecting sharks.

Towner previously told how killer whales were seemingly specifically aiming for the organ in 2020, after conducting autopsies on sharks which had also washed up on beaches in South Africa.

She described how killer whales ripped the majority of the sharks’ skin from just below the throat, allowing them access to the liver before tearing it out in a ‘precise and refined way’.

Experts confirmed that an orca was behind the deadly attack (Kevin Cole/East London Museum)

The marine biologist said ‘it’s pretty obvious’ who the perpetrator of the attack is ‘when the animal is lying there with its 60 kilo liver ripped out’.

Towner described the latest discovery as a ‘significant new observation’ for marine biologists, as it is the 14th confirmed case of a great white shark being slain by a killer whale in South Africa since 2015.

The corpse was moved to a high-water mark to stop it from being dragged back out to sea before a full necropsy was performed the following morning.

Researchers were able to obtain tissue and muscle samples for ‘ongoing research on white shark genetics and diet’ – but it seems poachers got there first, as the great white’s teeth had illegally been extracted.

The animal’s remains were later buried at a remote site.

If you ever decide to visit an aquarium you’ll see a small shred of the splendour and majesty of what life lies under the sea.

However, many of these places can be pretty controversial because they contain creatures which campaigners say shouldn’t be kept in captivity.

Some of these titanic creatures spend their entire lives in captivity, kept in tanks that cannot hold a candle to the vastness of the open ocean.

It can take great effort to get the animals released, and even in instances where a campaign is successful some of them die before they can be freed.

Still, you’ll see all sorts of sea life in an aquarium but one thing you aren’t likely to see is a great white shark.

Have you ever noticed there aren’t any in aquariums? (Getty stock photo)

They’ve been held in captivity in the past, but the reason why it’s not done now is because it’s pretty much never worked for any meaningful length of time.

Only the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California has successfully displayed a great white shark, as in other attempts the fish have died after a matter of days in captivity.

Even in the one case it was successful the longest they managed was to keep one of their six for 198 days before bringing an end to it.

In the end it was too costly to keep a great white shark, even one which had managed to get over the initial hurdle of dying within the first few days like the others of its kind.

According to Vox, the animals developed injuries in their tank, and sometimes killed other animals that were part of the aquarium’s exhibits as the sharks became increasingly aggressive in captivity.

“I was made to be free and eat things. Mostly eat things, but I need my space.” (Getty Stock Photo)

All in all trying to keep a great white shark in an aquarium has just been a recipe for high costs and a dead shark.

They grow too big, are difficult to feed and they need space to move.

indy100 reports that while other marine life can use their gills to get oxygen from the water with their mouth closed, the great while shark needs to have the mouth open.

This means any environment where their movements are restricted makes it harder for them to breathe properly, while they’re also used to swimming long distances and putting them in a small tank where they can do nothing of the sort is highly distressing for them.

Basically, it’s just nothing close to a suitable environment for them.

Scientists reckon the UK or Ireland is a ‘really comfortable place’ for a great white shark to live as experts are now seriously on the look-out.

With possible ‘sightings’ being reported over the years, shark boffins are hoping to get a glimpse of the sea creature that hasn’t officially ever been seen on the recorded in the UK and Ireland.

Up to 20 feet in length, the great white is one of the ocean’s most feared predators.

With incredibly sharp teeth and impressive sense of smell, the great white is able to detect a single drop of blood from miles away, and can launch an attack within a matter seconds.

They primarily feed on seals, fish, and smaller marine mammals, but there have been countless incidents of humans being attacked – particularly in countries such as Australia and South Africa.

While they’re not native to the UK, there have been a few instances of fisherman ‘spotting’ a great white, such as in 1999 when a skippers Mike Turner and Phil Britts – on board the Blue Fox – were in Cornwall releasing a tope shark they had caught.

After the shark rolled slightly on to its side, exposing its white belly, Turner was convinced it was a great white.

However, no photos of Blue Fox shark were taken.

There hasn’t ever been a recorded great white sighting in UK and Irish seas (Getty Stock Images)

All that being said, scientists believe that the conditions in UK and Ireland would be perfect for them.

And this comes after US non-profit research organisation Ocearch are hoping to create history in finding a great white in our waters.

“It would be the shark heard around the world,” Chris Fischer, founder of Ocearch, told Sky News.

“It would be the greatest thing we have ever achieved on the water.

“It would be the greatest gift we could give to any region of the world for their future, because that one shark would show people in this area and other research institutions where they can then potentially work on them and get more of the work going.”

Conditions over here would be perfect for great whites (Getty Stock Images)

Shark expert and lead Irish scientist on the new Ocearch expedition, Dr Nick Payne, added: “I think given the conditions we have in Britain and Ireland in terms of the water temperatures and the kind of food that’s available, the kind of habitats that exist on the seabed here, I think there’s a really good chance.

“These are exactly the kind of conditions, this is like a Goldilocks environment for these animals.

“It’s not too hot, it’s not too cold, the food here is right, both here in Ireland and throughout different parts of the UK.

“This whole region is potentially a really comfortable place for them. It’s just a matter of trying to find out if they’re here.”