Whale was old, in very poor health

The 15-ton sperm whale euthanized off Fort Desoto on Tuesday was an old, emaciated female who was in very poor health, a necropsy of the massive mammal revealed Wednesday.

The necropsy did not reveal an obvious illness or ailment, but it did confirm that the whale first spotted Sunday near John's Pass was near death, said Laura Engleby, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service.

"It was obviously not a healthy animal," Engleby said today. A more detailed press release is expected later today.

More than 1,300 sperm whales live in the Gulf of Mexico, according to one estimate, but most spend their entire lives in water deeper than 660 feet. The move to shallow water often is a sign of distress.

Biologists originally believed the sperm whale discovered over the weekend may have been young, based on its size. After first trying to coax the whale back to deeper water, marine biologists decided the whale -- a federally protected species -- could not be saved.

It was at least the third whale to wash up along Florida shores since 2002.

- Aaron Sharockman, Times staff writer