Wildlife authorities claimed a dolphin found washed up on a Florida beach had been stabbed to death in a horrible marine crime that detectives are now seeking to solve.

Late last month, beachgoers in Fort Myers, Florida, discovered the carcass of a female bottlenose dolphin with a gruesome slash above her right eye along the beachfront.

A necropsy on the animal revealed that it had been impaled by a spear-like item, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Officials stated that the damage occurred while the animal was alive.

Before being stabbed, the dolphin was most likely being illegally fed in a semi-upright position, according to the agency.

Officials snapped a disturbing photo of the lifeless animal, which revealed a massive incision on the right side of its cranium.

The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act makes it illegal to harm or kill wild dolphins, and violators can face up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

The incident is being investigated by local law enforcement.

Officials have said that dolphin aggression in the Gulf of Mexico is a continuing problem.

The stabbing in Fort Myers is the 27th time the mammals have been harmed since 2002, according to the NOAA.