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ANIMAL AND HOW IT MAY HAVE ENDED UP ON OUR SHORELINE >> IT IS TOO EARLY TO KNOW WHY THE WHALE A STRNDED. WHAT WE DO KNOW, ACCORDING THE VETERINARIAN IT WAS A FEMALE, JUVENILE SPERM WHALE. AND THE IT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS SMALL, THAT'S IN WHALE TERMS. IT WAS ENORMOUS IF YOU'RE A HUMAN, ACCORDING TO T D.N.R. SOME 25 FEET LONG. AT A QUARTER TO 7:00 SUNDAY MORNING A SURPRISE FOR LATE STREET IN OCEAN CITY. >> MY HUSBAND SPOTTED THE WHALE. HE GOT UP FIRST. AND HE SAID YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS, BUT THERE'S A WHALE DOWN THERE. INTH SOMEBODY BROUGHT A BUCKET. LIKE A BIG CONSTRUCTION PAINT BUCKET AND THEY WERE DUMPING OUT WHATTER. >> BYSTANDERS TOLD US, THEIR FIRST INSTINCT HELP THE WHALE BET BACK IN THE WATER. AN IDEA MOST QUICKLY DECIDED WAS NOT A WISE ONE. >> A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE'S FIRST INDICATION IS TO DO SOMETHING, BUT THESE ARE LARGE ANIMALS. >> IF ANYONE GETS NEAR IT YOU COULD GET HIT BY ONE OF THEIR FINS, GET ROLLED OVER IN THE SURF. >> WHEN A WHALE IS STRANDED ALONG THIS SHORELINE THE NATIONAL AQUARIUM IN BALTIMORE IS A FIRST RESPONDER. AS IT WAS ON SUNDAY. GOT THE CALL, DISPATCHED A TEAM TO THE SCENE. >> THIS WHALE HAD ACTUALLY JUST DIED AS WE GOT ON SCENE AND UNFORTUNATELY THIS ANIMAL WAS PROBABLY VERY SICK AHEAD OF STRANDING. >> IT WAS EMACIATED SHE SAID. SO SKINNY IT LOOKED SMALLER THAN ITS 25-FEET EVEN AS IT WAS TRANSPORTED OFF THE BEACH 7 1/2 HOURS AFTER IT WAS FIRST DISCOVERED BY HEAVY EQUIPMENT. THE NEXT STOP FOR THIS YOUNG SPERM WHALE IS A MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES FACILITY TO FIGURE OUT HOW THE ANIMAL ENDED UP ON THE SAND IN OCEAN CITY. AT THIS HOUR, A TEAM FROM THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES IS PERFORMING AN ANIMAL AUTOPSY ON THE ANIMAL TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT AND WHY IT MAY HAVE STRANDED. IT IS WORK THAT IS EXPECTED TO LAST THROUGH THE EVENING. AT THE NATIONAL AQUAR

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A whale stranded along the Ocean City shoreline Sunday morning has died, according to the National Aquarium.The whale was found around 6:45 a.m. Sunday on the beach in the area of 114th Street.It is too early to know why the animal became stranded. According to the National Aquarium's veterinarian, the whale was a female, juvenile sperm whale."This whale had actually just died as we got on scene, and unfortunately, this animal was obviously very sick, ahead of stranding," said Lori Westmoreland, a National Aquarium veterinarian.And though it has been described as small, that's in whale terms. It's enormous to a human. According to Maryland Department of Natural Resources officials, the whale was about 25 feet long."Somebody brought a bucket, like a big construction paint bucket, and they were dumping water," a beachgoer said.Bystanders told 11 news their first instinct was to help the whale get back in the water, an idea that most people quickly decided was not wise."A lot of times, people's first initial indication is to do something," said Kate Shaffer, the National Aquarium's rehab manager. "These are really large animals, very dangerous for people to get so close.""They roll around in the water. If anyone gets near it, you could get hit accidentally by one of their fins, you could get rolled over in the surf," Westmoreland said.Westmoreland said the whale was emaciated, so skinny that it looked smaller than its 25 feet.DNR crews removed the whale from the beach and the department is leading a team in performing a necropsy to learn more about the whale and why it stranded.Anyone who sees an animal in distress can call a trained wildlife first responder, including NOAA, at 866-755-6622, the National Aquarium stranding hotline at 410-373-0083 or Maryland Natural Resources Police at 800-628-9944.