A shark was found on New York subway

Weird, isn't it?Not if it's in New York City!

A dead shark has been discovered on the subway in New York City, transport officials have confirmed.

The unlikely passenger, about 1.2m (4ft) long, was found under a row of seats on a Queens-bound train.

The conductor asked passengers to leave the carriage and the train continued to the end of the line, where a supervisor disposed of the fish.

Pigeons and even an opossum have made their way on to the trains before, but never a shark, transit officials said.

However, where it came from remains a mystery.

Isvett Verde, of Brooklyn, New York, who took a photo of the shark, said she noticed that the empty carriage of the N train "smelled extremely fishy" when she boarded at 8th Street.

"It's hard to be surprised as there are always crazy things happening in this city, but even that was a bit much," she told the BBC.

From BBC News

A marine expert at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center has looked at the shark and says it is real.

Shark experts to whom we showed the pictures believe it is a smooth dogfish (Mustelus canis-It is a local species common along our beaches this time of year). As for its age, that is hard to tell. Large females reach a maximum adult length of 5 feet and males tend to be smaller. Experts say these sharks have small, flat teeth and could not even break the skin of your finger if you stuck it in its mouth, and they are considered harmless.

Transit officials say they were aware of the photos but are making no effort to find the person who posted them. The transit authority says it has "better things to do."

From http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_york&id=9198604