Sarasota County deputies responded to beached whale on Point of Rocks Beach on Friday morning.
Deputies called officials with the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium to help assist them. The 12-foot whale washed ashore just after 3 a.m. on Friday, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.
Sarasota County deputies are currently working to remove the dead sub-pilot whale from the beach.
Biologists said the male whale was most likely sick. They are performing a necropsy on the animal to determine its cause of death.
"This one particular animal will help us learn more about the species as a whole," said biologist Rebeccah Hazelkorn.
