Commuters encountered an unexpected passenger when they boarded a New York City subway train early Wednesday : a shark . A still wet 1-and-a-half foot shark carcass was discovered on the floor of a subway car at around midnight in downtown Manhattan . `` I thought it was just a plush toy or a prank , '' passenger Juan Cano told CNN . `` When I saw the teeth that 's I knew it was real , it was no toy . '' The shark , described as weighing between five to 10 pounds , was discovered near a row of seats by passengers on the Queens-bound N train at the 14th Street stop . The shark had blood on its mouth , as though it has recently been punctured by a fishing hook , according to Cano . The shark quickly drew a crowd , as entering subway riders began to photograph and pose with the shark , even adding a subway fare card , soft drink can and a cigarette to the supine shark as props . After several stops , an MTA official entered the train at Queensboro Plaza , cleared it of passengers , and locked its doors , Metropolitan Transit Authority spokesmen Kevin Ortiz told CNN . The shark was removed later that night and disposed of . The shark 's species was never identified . MTA officials were unable to `` determine the shark 's origin , '' according to Ortiz . This is not the first case of a mysterious shark appearance . In Nantucket last week , a 5-foot-long shark carcass was discovered outside the door of a bar on Water Street . `` I have no idea how or why it got there . '' Sea Dog Brew Pub manager Jim Agnew told CNN . Asked whether anything out of the ordinary happened that evening , Agnew could only point to having to ask two people to leave , but those were `` peaceful ejections '' he said -- adding that the customs had since returned to the bar . Some have speculated that the appearance of sharks in mysterious places is a publicity stunt for the Discovery Channel 's `` Shark Week . '' Photos of the two mysterious sharks have exploded on social media using the hashtag # sharkweek . Discovery Channel denies any involvement . `` Shark Week is all about conservation , so it deeply saddens us that someone would think that this was funny or in any way connected to our celebration of sharks , '' said spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg . MTA officials told CNN they have no plans to `` continue investigating '' how the shark got on the subway .
Train carcass found on subway . Passengers posed for photos . The police do n't know how it got on board .