Cryptic crossword clue
Head of oceanography leaving unfortunate dog for shark 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word PORBEAGLE

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
P
O
R
B
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A
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "shark" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case shark = porbeagle.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does PORBEAGLE mean?

PORBEAGLE noun
  1. A large pelagic predatory shark, Lamna nasus, of the Atlantic.

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