Astonishing footage shows a mammoth 63st pregnant whale washed ashore on a beach in Taiwan.
Rescuers managed to save the pygmy sperm whale which was found alongside a youngster believed to be its offspring.
The pair were uncovered in the Yong'an fishing port along the coast of Taoyuan City on Saturday.
Members of the Taiwan Cetacean Society tried to save both whales, but the younger sadly died at the scene.
Its mum appeared weakened and thin, with several abrasions across its skin.
Footage shows the whale weakly raising its tail while lying on the sand before it was taken to an animal centre in the Badouzi port for treatment.
Following the rescue, the Taiwan Cetacean Society said the mother whale measured 250 cm in length and weighed 63st.
Experts explained how the whale had an 'abnormal breathing rate' but that it did not appear to be seriously injured.
The pygmy sperm whale is one of two surviving species from the Kogiidae family, part of the sperm whale superfamily.
They are not often spotted at sea and most of what is known about them comes from research on stranded creatures.
The whales are toothed and named after the waxy substance found in their heads called spermaceti – an oil sac that helps them focus sound.
Similar to squid, pygmy sperm whales can also produce a dark, ink-like liquid that helps them escape from predators.
Elsewhere this week, the body of a whale was discovered on a beach in British Columbia, Canada.
The young female humpback, called Spike, was found dead with no obvious injuries.
Rescuers said her body was inflated which was "completely normal" but are not sure what caused her death.
"It is caused by gas created by decomposition inside the body of the animal," said Jackie Hildering, the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS) told Newsweek.
The humpback researcher and communications director added: "Eventually this gas will find a way to escape and the body will deflate."
The deflation process usually happens due to the slow release of gas from small tears in the whale's skin.
But sometimes, the whale's skin keeps on stretching like a pumped-up balloon and can stretch to breaking point.
A similar incident was reported in Taiwan in 2004 when a sperm whale exploded on a busy street in Tainan.
Almost 90 species of whales and dolphins exist in the world and Taiwan is home to more than a third, with 31 species.
Whale watching is a popular activity on the island and is recommended between April and November.
Popular places include Xingang and the Fugang ports of Taitung, Hualien Harbour, and Wushih Port of Yilan.
