Scientists were back on the beach Friday, trying to figure out what killed a 32-foot sperm whale that beached itself near John's Pass.

The necropsy has already revealed important information; the whale was female and was underweight, even though it weighed between five and seven tons.

Florida Fish and Wildlife, along with officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) set up a mobil research facility Friday along Fort DeSoto Beach, where the whale was transferred after Thursday's euthanization.

Construction equipment was used to haul the whale onto a remote section of beach at Fort DeSoto Park. A detailed analysis of the whale came next.

Fourteen-inch knives were used to cut through thousands of pounds of blubber. It was exhausting work. The knives had to continuously be sharpened.

Officials did say early Friday they found several parasites in the whale, although that was not considered unusual. Also, biologists said they were examining a large amount of fluid around the whale's heart.

FWC Biologist Andy Garrett said there were signs of chronic infection in the whale’s abdominal cavity which could explain why the whale was so emaciated.

"A lot of times it's kind of a cascade effect where you get infection, it gets worse, you stop eating. Your nutrition goes down you start using your fat stores," he said.

Experts say finding out what happened is key to unlocking the secrets of the species.

"We want to understand whales in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Kyle Baker, NOAA Sperm Whale Expert. “You know, how human activities are affecting that. How contaminants are affecting them. So, anything we can learn from this whale will inform us on our ability to conserve and recover these whales.”

FWC crews euthanized the whale Thursday. The whale was given a sedative first.

Wildlife officials say their goal is to find out if the whale suffered from trauma, an infectious cause or a bio toxin like red tide.

It will be weeks before lab results are back when an official determination can be made as to what was wrong with the whale.

The whale was buried on the beach.