Beached whale died of old age, experts believe‎

COCOA BEACH — A 10-foot long male pigmy sperm whale that beached Wednesday near 11th Street South appears to be the victim of heart disease.

Officials with Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute found no signs of trauma, just hallmarks of old age.

“We didn’t find anything grossly abnormal,” said Teresa Mazza, a research assistant at Hubbs who performed the field examination of the whale.

A small crowd gathered as Mazza carved out samples of the animal’s organ tissue. Those will be used to test for toxic metals, pathogens and signs of disease.

City officials brought in a backhoe to bury the whale in a hole about eight feet deep. Read More