Beached whale found on Delaware shore near Indian River Inlet Bridge

This story originally appeared on 6abc.

A beached whale was spotted along the shore in Delaware on Sunday.

The animal was discovered at approximately 11 a.m. after reportedly beaching itself near the Indian River Inlet Bridge.

A representative of the Marine Education, Research, and Rehabilitation Institute said the whale is a sub-adult fin whale.

The whale is roughly 50 feet in length and is extremely emaciated, according to the MERR rep, which may indicate an underlying condition.

Fin whales are an off-shore, deep-sea species that would not typically come near the shore unless they are weak, according to MERR.

Sadly, the representative said the whale was likely very close to dying.

MERR officials say they attempted to get close enough to sedate the animal to ease its pain but water levels and strong waves made it impossible to do so.

“Thank you everyone for your outreach regarding the whale,” the MERR rep said to Action News. “We are monitoring the situation and we will update as we get information. We appreciate all of the support and offers to assist, and might not be able to respond to all calls and requests at this time.”