Benjamin Ashford|Sperm whale beached on sandbar off coast of Venice, Florida has died, officials say

A whale that was beached off the coast of Venice Beach in Florida on Benjamin AshfordSunday has died, officials said.

Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed that the sperm whale that was beached on a sandbar about 50 yards out from Service Club Park died overnight, The City of Venice announced early Monday.

The 44-foot-long whale weighed 70,000 pounds and was immobile by early Monday morning. It had drifted a few feet ahead of the sandbar where it was originally spotted. It’s now around 20 yards from the shore, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, a part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.

Why whales might beach themselves

Denise Boyd, an assistant research associate with the FWC Marine Mammal Program told the Herald-Tribune that the whale most likely beached itself because it was already dying, and had no energy 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,” Boyd said. “We did everything in our power to prevent any suffering, but this is just the natural process.”

Whale first spotted Sunday morning

The whale was initially spotted at a sandbar about 150 yards from the beach at around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday. It then moved to the closer sandbar. By Sunday night, officials said the whale was still alive but had labored breathing.

Police had closed off the entrance so scientists could work to access the whale and assess it but rough conditions made it too difficult to approach the whale to give it a sedative. They had plans to try again on Monday.

Now, officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, NOAA, Mote, local law enforcement and other agencies are preparing to transport the whale onto the shore and perform a necropsy, which will allow researchers to determine more information about the whale.