Florida officials discovered 11 pilot whales dead that had washed ashore in the lower Keys on Sunday.
This finding doubles the amount of deceased whales found in the past week, according to CNN.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration representatives said they thought the 11 whales found in the Florida Keys this past weekend could be part of a larger group of 51 whales currently trapped near Everglades National Park.
"This totals 22 dead whales and 29 still missing," a statement from NOAA read. "Given our knowledge of past mass pilot whales strandings, the outlook for finding the remaining whales alive is bleak."
The group was last seen alive on Friday - around 20 whales were spotted five nautical miles from shore, according to CNN. The pod was reportedly headed south, and were swimming in an uncharacteristically disorganized manner-slowly and scattered, which might mean they were dehydrated, undernourished, or physically drained.
Pilot whales are not an endangered species, but they do fall under the protection of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
An investigation into the deceased whales has reportedly begun, as of Monday.
This isn't the first time a large pod of pilot whales has been found in Florida-last year, almost 24 of the majestic mammals were stranded and beached.
