Death of a gentle giant: Heartbreaking moment beached humpback whale appears to weep as it loses its battle to stay alive on a Brazilian beach

This is the heartbreaking moment a beached humpback whale appears to weep as it draws its final breaths after being stranded on a beach in Brazil

Footage taken by amazed onlookers shows how tears seemingly stream down the gentle giant's face as if it knows it is close to death.

Tragically, marine experts reported on July 17 that the trapped whale had died, despite desperate attempts to save it.

The animals can only survive for a few hours out of the water, and the beached whale was seen blinking continuously as it met a devastating end.

It was returned to the sea a second time with the help of volunteers and a tugboat, only to wash up yet again at a nearby spot the next morning.

The Humpback Whale Project team had told local media it was considering euthanizing the animal, but it is not clear how it met its end.

Scientists have officially rejected the claim that the whale had been crying.

They say the reason for the tears was a release of oil to lubricate the whale's eyes while out of water

While whales do not cry in the sense humans would, witnesses to whale stranding worldwide have reported the animals' sheer emotion as the beach.

humpback whale appears to weep as it loses its battle to stay alive on a Brazilian beach