UPDATE: Beached whale euthanized, necropsy planned (PHOTOS)

This update is courtesy of the Northwest Florida Daily News:

The sperm whale found beached behind Shoreline Towers Wednesday afternoon was euthanized after a veterinarian determined that it could not be saved.

"It was not in a condition that it could be rehabbed," said Amanda Wilkerson, director of the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge.

The adult female sperm whale weighed about 500 pounds and was about 8 feet long, she said.

To see more photos from the scene, click here.

A beachgoer had spotted it beached earlier in the day and had pushed the animal back out into the Gulf. It beached itself again and by the time rescuers arrived was barely able to hold its head out of the water.

"Never ever push a marine animal back into the water," Wilkerson said. "If it beaches it's because it needs medical attention."

Spectators had reported that the whale was bleeding profusely but Wilkerson said it was actually "inking," which is a defense mechanism.

"It was probably stressed with the people around it," Wilkerson said. "That's when it started to ink."

The ink is black, but appears reddish brown as it disperses into the water. The animal did have some scrapes on it from beaching, as well as small bites from a cookie cutter shark. The bites are common on marine animals, Wilkerson said.

A necropsy is being performed Thursday.

Sperm whales, which are larger than a bottlenose dolphin, are commonly seen in local waters though they are rarely seen near shore, Wilkerson said.

To read the original story from The Destin Log, continue below.

Matt Algarin

A beached sperm whale with a few lacerations on its body drew a crowd of about half a dozen people Wednesday evening behind Shoreline Towers in Destin.

An Okaloosa County Sheriff's deputy on scene said that officials from the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had been notified and were on their way.

To see more photos from the scene, click here.

As they waited, a man stood in the waves holding the whale steady. It occasionally flopped its tail and blew water from its blowhole.

"He didn't have much steam left," the deputy said of the whale's attempt to swim back out in the Gulf.

ECWR director Amanda Wilkerson, who had arrived shortly after 5:30 p.m., said that a veterinarian was on the way and that after an assessment, a decision would be made as to where the whale would be transported.

Check back for updates as they become available.