Following the sighting of a rare whale shark, beaches in Haifa, Israel, were closed on Friday. However, according to Maariv via The Jerusalem Post, the beaches are expected to reopen Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. local time.
When fully grown, a whale shark can reach lengths of 39 to 45 feet (12 to 14 meters) and weigh over 20 tons (44,000 pounds), making it the largest fish in the world. These gentle giants feed on small fish, tiny crustaceans, and plankton.
The whale shark species is listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Sightings in the Mediterranean are extremely rare; it wasn’t until 2021 that a whale shark was verified in the region. That year, one was caught on video near Turkey, and another was captured in December 2022 off Ceuta, North Africa, in a tuna net, according to The Jerusalem Post.
In related wildlife news, The Daily Caller recently covered a “mythical” all-white Iberian lynx spotted in Jaén, Spain. Believed to be the first documented of its kind, experts confirmed through video analysis that the lynx has leucism, a condition causing partial loss of pigmentation.
The sighting of this rare wildcat has sparked celebrations among conservationists, marking a significant success for the Iberian lynx—an endangered species that was once on the brink of extinction.
https://dailycaller.com/2025/10/31/rare-whale-shark-sighting-beach-closures-haifa-israel/
