A badly decomposed 37-foot young humpback whale washed up on South Beach on Friday night.

Sgt. Matthew Bass of the state environmental police said the whale was first spotted in the wash Friday afternoon, in an out of reach on a private beach near Job’s Neck Pond.

On Saturday, volunteers from the Vineyard’s marine mammal stranding team visited the site. Staff from the New England Aquarium and from Woods Hole arrived on Sunday investigate with heavy equipment, hoping to bring the animal on to the beach, according to aquarium spokesman Tony LaCasse.

A necropsy was planned for Sunday afternoon, he said, adding that there was no early indication as to how the whale had died, no apparent evidence of a ship strike. He said efforts will be made to try and identify the whale, as many of the humpback whales that swim in the region are recognizable.

Humpback whales are an endangered species, and the aquarium’s staff and volunteers are involved in monitoring the health of the animals.