Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) in the Mediterranean Sea: first confirmed records from the southeastern Levant

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest living fish species and a cosmopolitan planktivore primarily inhabiting tropical and warm-temperate waters. In most checklists it is generally considered absent from the Mediterranean Sea, although isolated sightings have been reported in recent years. Here we present the first confirmed records of R. typus from the southeastern Levantine coast, with multiple observations of two distinct individuals between September and November 2025. These sightings are added to the few existing records from Turkey (Samandağ, Hatay, 2021) and Spain (Ceuta, Strait of Gibraltar, 2022). They also raise questions regarding the species’ distribution across the Mediterranean and the origin of these individuals, which may have entered through the Suez Canal (Lessepsian migration) or from the Atlantic Ocean via the Strait of Gibraltar. These records may reflect ongoing changes in the Mediterranean Sea and highlight the importance of continued monitoring.