Animal rescuers rushed to the west end of the Provincetown Harbor Wednesday afternoon in an unsuccessful attempt to save an unusual beaked whale stranded in a sand bar. The female whale was first spotted at about 1:45 p.m. Bystanders told rescuers that the animal, which is rarely seen in shallow waters, was alive. When Provincetown Harbormaster Rex McKinsey arrived, he said the whale was still breathing but was “emaciated.” By 3:30 p.m., she had died.

“We see whales all the time. It’s not an everyday occurrence, but it happens,” McKinsey said. “But this particular type of animal is very rare. I’ve never seen one up here in my 20 years.”

Weighing in at 1,900 pounds, the whale was 16 feet long. Officials needed a crane to remove the whale from the water, according to Kristen Patchett, the stranding coordinator for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

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Because beaked whales are deep-water mammals, Patchett said researchers do not have supported records about average length, weight, or life span.

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The deceased whale was taken to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where researchers are performing a necrospy and hope to learn more about the species, Patchett said.

Though the necropsy is ongoing, researchers found Thursday that the whale had no food in her stomach. The institution has not determined a cause of death.

The whale also had damage to her jaw, though Patchett said that could have happened when officials were moving the whale after her death.

“It’s definitely a sad case, and we wish that the outcome had been different, but we are grateful that we have the opportunity to learn more about the species as far as their life history,” Patchett said. “There’s not a lot known about these animals because the sightings of them are so infrequent so ... we are all going to be learning a lot from this animal.”

Felicia Gans can be reached at felicia.gans@globe.com . Follow her on Twitter @FeliciaGans