Following a sighting of a rare whale shark, beaches in Haifa, Israel were closed Friday. However, it’s expected that the beaches will open back up Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. local time, according to Maariv per The Jerusalem Post.
When a whale shark becomes an adult, it can reach up to 39-45 feet (12-14 meters) and weigh over 20 tons (44,000 pounds), which makes it the biggest fish in the world, according to the outlet. Whale sharks eat small fish, tiny crustaceans and plankton. (RELATED: Insane Video Shows Rat Catching Bat Out Of Midair In First Time Ever)
The species is listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
It wasn’t until 2021 that a whale shark in the Mediterranean got verified. That year, one was caught on video around Turkey, while another was captured Dec. 2022 off Ceuta, North Africa in a tuna net, per The Jerusalem Post.
Haifa closes all beaches after possible whale shark sighting; similar sightings reported nationwide
Lifeguard reports large marine animal near city’s southern shore; recent whale shark sightings have prompted beach closures across Israel, with one later spotted off Gaza’s coast… pic.twitter.com/JqFc1iTLoj
— Ynet Global (@ynetnews) October 31, 2025
The Daily Caller recently covered a “mythical” all-white Iberian lynx that was spotted in Jaén, Spain, believed to be the first of its kind that’s been documented.
After examining the video, experts confirmed that the lynx has leucism.
A photographer in southern Spain captured what is believed to be the first-ever white Iberian lynx, a leucistic big cat so rare it seems almost mythical. Already one of the world’s rarest cats, the Iberian lynx was pulled back from the brink of extinction after its population… pic.twitter.com/rLQrMfbCNq
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 29, 2025
The witnessing of the rare wildcat resulted in celebrations of success for the Iberian lynx‘s conservation due to the species nearly going extinct at one point.
