Sperm Whale Beaching Along Florida’s Gulf Coast Died

A sperm whale that became stranded on a Florida beach over the weekend has died, according to a statement from the state's fish and wildlife conservation commission.

The whale was around 44 feet (13 meters) long, or nearly the size of a large school bus. It weighs up to 70,000 pounds (31,700 kg).

Sperm Whale Beaching

Since Sunday morning, law enforcement and wildlife officials have attempted to rescue the male whale from a shallow sandbar off Florida's Gulf Coast in the city of Venice, some 59 miles (95 kilometers) from Tampa.

However, officials stated they were unable to save the animal due to severe winds and surf in the Gulf of Mexico waters off Venice's coast, and they needed to euthanize the whale.

Rescuers had anticipated better weather on Monday, allowing them to save the whale. However, officials stated that by Sunday evening, it was evident that the whale was suffering from hard breathing.

The city even issued a no-swim recommendation for the areas south of Venice Beach to address the stranded animal.

The whale died at 3 a.m. Monday.

Police said they remained alongside the whale during its final night. The animal was found on a sandbar about 50 yards (45 meters) from Service Club Park in Venice.

"Today, biologists will collect samples to attempt to determine cause of illness and death and to better understand sperm whale health, and life history," the FWC said in a statement.

Denise Boyd, an assistant research associate with the FWC Marine Mammal Program, said that the whale probably beached itself because it was already dying and had no stamina to swim.

"If an animal beaches itself, it is almost always a clear indication that they're in distress or they're actually in the process of dying," he added.

Very Rare Event

Laura Engleby, a branch chief of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) marine mammal division, said that sperm whales becoming stranded on coasts near the Gulf of Mexico was a "very rare event."

Although there are an estimated 1,100 sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico, they are mostly found in deep water and rarely come close to shore. Only a handful of such strandings occur annually in the southeast United States.

"It's really unusual. The last one I remember being at was in 2008. We get about two sperm whales stranded a year in the south-eastern US along the Gulf Coast - [which i s] not as frequently," she added.

Sperm whales have a normal lifespan of 70 years and are one of the most widely distributed marine animal species, as they can be found in all deep oceans.

Based on the data of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, sperm whales are the largest toothed whale species, with females reaching 36 feet and males reaching 52 feet.

According to NOAA, they are typically found "from the equator to the edge of pack ice in the Arctic and Antarctic."

Sperm whales, which may be found in all major oceans, are now protected as an endangered species following years of population decline caused by human exploitation.