Aquarium, Firefighters Rescue Whales Off Florida Shore

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CLEARWATER, Fla. (CBS/AP) — Crews are working to help two pygmy killer whales that had been found distressed in shallow waters on Florida's Gulf Coast.

With scores of beachgoers watching on Wednesday morning, teams from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Clearwater Fire Rescue used large blue bags to move the whales from the water off Sand Key to a large Marine Life Rescue truck. They were later taken to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota for treatment.

The pygmy killer whales were originally thought to be false killer whales or melon-headed whales, but were later discovered to be otherwise.

False killer whales look much like dolphins and typically thrive in deeper water.

It took crews about 90 minutes to rescue the whales.

Officials say they're not sure what caused the whales to become distressed.

Red tide, which is a naturally-occurring algae that poisons fish, has been blamed for killing marine life, including turtles, dolphins and manatees. But officials say only low levels of red tide have been detected in the waters off Clearwater.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)