CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., March 1 (UPI) -- An ocean rescue official said a pygmy sperm whale died in Brevard County, Fla., after beaching itself at Jetty Park.
Brevard County Ocean Rescue Assistant Chief Eisen Witcher said the first reports on the beached whale came in Sunday morning and were quickly followed by the death of the marine animal, Florida Today reported Monday.
Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute biologist Teresa Mazza said a necropsy was performed on the whale's body and it appears the animal died of natural causes as no obvious signs of trauma were found.
"He's got a normal load of parasites. We preliminarily are seeing some abnormalities with the heart, but that's not unusual for the species," Mazza said of the whale. "A lot of them have cardiomyopathy."
Mazza told Florida Today the whale was the third pygmy whale to have become beached in Brevard County this year.
