Dead dolphin washes up on beach with huge chunk taken out of it - as swimmers avoid sea

A dolphin washed up on a beach with what appears to be huge shark bite out of its stomach has scared off swimmers and surfers.

The grim find in Sutherland Shire, New South Wales, Australia, has shocked locals.

Images of the carcass shows a half metre-long wound exposing the dolphin's ribs and what seem to be teeth marks.

Local photographer Michael Sutton was out on his daily morning walk on Cronulla Beach when he was stopped in his tracks.

He received a call from a local surfer that there was something he might want to photograph - so headed down early not knowing what it was.

Finding the dead dolphin, the stunned snapper was heartbroken - and believed it had been on the beach for a couple of hours.

There were no reports of shark sightings in the area, officials state.

The photographer believed the dolphin had been on the beach for a couple of hours (Michael Sutton)

The dolphin had washed up near Greenhills and Wanda beaches in Cronulla, Australia (Michael Sutton)

But the dead dolphin stopped swimmers and surfers from going near the water regardless.

Mr Sutton said he hasn't seen anything like it in his years walking on the beach.

"I went for a walk and found what I thought was a whale but it was actually a dolphin with a massive shark bite out of its side," he told 9 News.

Mr Sutton was out for a walk when he came across the ravaged dolphin (Michael Sutton)

"I've missed a handful of sunrises over the past 15 years, this is my most unusual find, I'm there every day taking photos.

"Normally I only find phones or GoPros from a big night out, so this was a bit unusual to see. Surfers weren't going in!"

Sutherland Shire Council say they worked with wildlife services to appropriately remove the carcass.

The dead dolphin was reportedly stopping swimmers and surfers from going near the water, even though none of the beasts had been seen (Michael Sutton)

"Sutherland Shire Council's Ocean Safety and Lifeguard unit was alerted to a large dolphin carcass which had been washed ashore north of Wanda Beach, Cronulla, early yesterday," a spokesperson for the council said.

"Sutherland Shire Council thanks those members of the public who alerted our staff to the issue, ensuring that Council could swiftly engage relevant authorities and ensure the carcass could be promptly removed from the site."