A DECOMPOSING whale head that sparked reports of shark sightings and shut down two northern Sydney beaches has been removed.
Whale and Palm beaches were shut on Monday morning after the whale head was reported to Pittwater Council.
A council spokeswoman said a couple of sharks had been spotted feeding on the carcass on the rocks at the southern end of Whale Beach.
"According to the resident who reported the incident, he thought they could have been great whites," she told AAP on Tuesday.
"But we are not so sure."
She said the head appeared to have been at sea for quite some time before it washed up.
"Which would explain why it was missing a body and why it was quite pungent."
Council had hoped the head would wash out to sea at high tide on Monday night, but instead it had to be removed and taken to Lucas Heights Waste Management Centre on Tuesday morning.
The operation cost about $5000, the spokeswoman said.
However, it was not "as major" as the clean-up a of 20-tonne sperm whale carcass that washed up on Newport Beach in April.
She said no real residue or oil was left over from the whale's head, with the beaches set to open by Thursday.
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