NEW YORK - New York City subway riders got a surprise on Wednesday when a dead shark was discovered on a Queens-bound subway train, authorities said.

A supervisor found the four-foot-long carcass shortly after midnight, moved the passengers onto another car and discarded it at the end of the line, according to Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Kevin Ortiz.

Photos of the shark appeared on the Gothamist website, along with pictures of passengers posing the shark with accessories such as a cigarette and a subway fare card.

This happens to be Shark Week, a annual promotion by the Discovery Channel dedicated to sharks. A spokeswoman for the Discovery Channel said it had nothing to do with the shark on the subway.