A live Pygmy sperm whale calf was found stranded on Emerald Isle last week and later died.
The NC State Center for Marine Sciences and Technology said the species is rarely seen at sea because they don’t spend much time at the surface.
Biologists also said they often strand in mother-calf pairs, and are often still alive when they are found.
Officials with the NC Aquarium Stranding team said the whale was a female, and her mother was not seen before, during, or after she was found.
The calf died just before the team arrived on the scene. A necropsy will be performed.
