Apollo Beach charter school students first to spot sick sperm whale in Florida Keys

APOLLO BEACH, Fla. - While down in the Florida Keys for a biology field trip, honors students from the Waterset Charter School spotted a young sperm whale swimming alone in shallow water. Their teacher knew something wasn't right. 

"It looked to be injured, it had markings like a propeller had hit it, definitely lost from its mom," said eighth grade biology teacher Kristen Richards. 

They would observe the young whale and call in experts to help. For the students it was a lesson in the fragility of life in the ocean. 

"In that moment, I was upset because we couldn’t do anything to help it, but it was interesting to see how everything in the wild," said eighth grader Ella Alexander. 

RELATED: 2 sperm whales die within one week in Florida Keys

It is believed to be the same calf that would eventually strand itself and die. A necropsy is still pending, but not more than a week later, a 47-foot sperm whale also stranded itself in the Keys. 

When biologists looked inside the large male's stomach they found debris, likely from humans. 

"There was a mass of line and net and some plastic bags found in stomach which were likely it’s the cause of it becoming so emaciated and dying," said Erin Fougeres, Marine Mammals Stranding Program administrator for the South East Region of NOAA fisheries. 

Experts said on average two sperm whales strand themselves in the gulf every year, they said it is rare to see two in a week's time. They don't believe the cases are related.