The whale had washed up on shore about 4 p.m. Officials believed the whale was sick, also noting how thin it appeared. Two hours later, the animal died.
Since it washed up on shore, likelihood of survival for the whale, which was about 25 feet to 30 feet long, had been slim, Justin Viezbicke, California stranding coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said late Wednesday afternoon prior to its death.
"At this point, there's not much we can do," he said.
The NOAA response team couldn't pull the animal out to sea for fear of hurting the creature or causing even more damage.
"It can be super dangerous," Viezbicke said. "We don't try and pull a live whale."
