24-Foot Shark Washes Ashore in UK, Forklift Removes Carcass

The ol' "Jaws" line goes "You're gonna need a bigger boat" ... but it's a bigger forklift that was needed when a massive 24-foot shark washed up onshore in the United Kingdom!

While this might seem like a scene straight out of "The Meg" ... Sunday's shark incident is anything but fiction, as the carcass of a basking shark made its way to Scotland's Maidens Beach.

However, the sea creature's body was seen moving in the water before ending up on the sand, so several bystanders were convinced the animal was still alive.

Many eyewitnesses originally confused it for a whale -- the basking shark is the second-largest living fish -- and British Divers Marine Life Rescue and Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme were called to the scene.

One beachgoer called for assistance, and told What's The Jam ... she made her way into the water herself to determine if the creature was dead or alive.

She added, "I wanted to try to help it, if it was alive and floundering, so I put on a wetsuit and got in the water to check."

It didn't take long for Yolanda to realize the shark was dead, noting the creature was tangled up in a long rope and had its tail in its mouth. She theorized the shark died while trying to free itself ... a sad scene, indeed.

After the rescue teams arrived on the scene, a forklift was brought onto the beach to help carry off the deceased shark.