A distressed male baleen whale that measured 23 feet was discovered in the port in Haifa on Saturday morning.
Volunteers from the Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center (IMMRAC) were alerted and have been monitoring the mammal throughout the day. They said they will attempt to lead him back out to the open sea later in the evening.
Baleen whales, which are also known as "great whales," are characterized by having baleen plates for filtering food from water, rather than teeth, and two blowholes. They are also able to leap completely out of the water.