VENICE — In a rare occurrence on the Gulf Coast florida, A huge sperm whale that attracted national attention when it became stranded on a sandbar died Monday, state wildlife officials said.
The whale It was about 44 feet (13 meters) long, almost the size of a large school bus, and weighed about 70,000 pounds (31,700 kilograms), authorities said.
Early Sunday, police and wildlife personnel tried to free the male whale near the playa in Venice, Florida. By afternoon, the whale was breathing heavily and died around 3 a.m. Monday, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“Today, biologists will collect samples to try to determine the cause of the illness and death and better understand the health and life history of the sperm whale,” the commission said in a statement.
The process is expected to take weeks.
Although there are an estimated 1,100 sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico, they are typically found in deep waters and rarely venture close to shore. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States (NOAA), few strandings of this type occur each year in the southeast of the country.
Laura Engleby, chief of NOAA’s southeast region marine mammal division, said at a news conference that the last time a sperm whale stranded in the Gulf was in 2008.
“Normally we don’t see them. “This is an unusual incident,” Engleby said, adding that the whale looked “very thin” and was probably very sick. Sample tests will determine the cause of death.
Sperm whales are listed as an endangered species in the United States.
Eventually, the whale carcass will likely be towed out to sea, taken to a landfill or buried, according to authorities.
Venice is located about 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Tampa.
Source: With information from AP
