Abbotsford School children were greeted by a smiling assassin on their way to school last week.
A 2m-long, 105kg mako shark sitting on North Taieri Rd caught the attention of children walking to school on Wednesday morning.
The man behind the shark's appearance, Tautuku Fishing Club member Ian Gunion, said ''parents and all sorts'' were intrigued and bemused by it.
He caught the shark on Tuesday about 4km off the Otago Heads using 24kg line.
Mr Gunion initially hooked it with 10kg one, but ''he broke the line''.
''He's about half the size he was yesterday,'' he said last Wednesday.
The sun had partially dehydrated its carcass.
Mr Gunion said he planned to use the shark as bait to catch a larger one, but the jaw would be donated to Abbotsford School.
''There's a few kids there wanting some teeth,'' he said.
Some classes had visited during the day after the children spotted it on the way to school.
''I was quite amazed - a lot of them have never touched one,'' Mr Gunion said.
Abbotsford School pupil Hamish Milne said he was excited by the unexpected sight.
''It's really cool,'' he said.
''It's not very often you get to see a shark.''
