The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) reported the sperm whale's death to have occurred about 20:00 on Norfolk Beach despite attempts to save it.
The giant mammal was first noticed at around 7:30, beached almost 1.5 miles out on the sand on Norfolk Beach.Coastguards and experts in the area proceeded to close the beach to the public. They also asked people to stay at a safe distance.
BBC News UK reported that the whale had been around 46 feet long, and between 25 and 30 tonnes as claimed by Stephen Marsh, operations manager for The British Divers Marine Life Rescue group. Marsh also said there was nothing that could have been done to help.
Attempts by sealife experts to help the whale survive by splashing it with water buckets to ease its distress were in vain.
Another dead beached whale was found at Hunstanton last month. Scientists claim that strandings may happen of natural causes, and that the recent pattern of increasing dead whales may be due to an increase in whale populations.
Whales that get beached do not generally end up surviving as their enormous weight can damage its internal organs and cause them to fail. Their weight is normally supported by the sea.
Marsh expressed sadness at the whale's death, but also said it was a relief given how much suffering the whale had been in. High tide came around 14:50 on Norfolk Beach but it was too late by then; it did not appear able to move as waves washed over it.
This is not the first whale to have tragically died like this. According to The Guardian, tests are to be carried out on the whale to try and explain the recent pattern.
Females and calves normally stay in warm waters with males leaving to form bachelor pods. The males leave annually to go to warmer areas to mate. The reason for these whales migrating to the tropics is yet unknown.
