JUST in case you needed a clue – it’s a type of dogfish.

This impressive specimen was discovered washed up on Sandbanks Beach by Poole resident Nick Knight.

Nick, who was walking his dog, Eddie, was left wandering exactly what it was following yesterday’s encounter.

“I was walking the dog and we just came across it,” he told the Daily Echo. “I thought it may be alive at first but when I got nearer I could tell it was clearly dead.

“We were close to Shore Road at the time. “I have seen a smaller one before, about half the size, that washed up on the harbour side at Sandbanks. But I’ve never seen one quite this big.”

Nick, who has lived in the Poole area for 15 years, said: “I’d be interested in finding out exactly what it was. At one point I thought Eddie was going to try and eat it, but he just had a sniff and walked off.”

The dead fish – later confirmed as a starry smoothhound – was about four feet long.

Nick later joked: “It was a bit too large for my pan I’m afraid.”

Sarah Barker, aquatics & mammal supervisor at Bournemouth Oceanarium said: “Sightings such as these are great to raise awareness to locals of the fantastic and diverse aquatic creatures that live around our coastlines.

“The smoothhound species of shark are abundant around the UK, however, many would be surprised that a fish of this size could be found so commonly in our waters.”