A Lebanese couple in the city of Tyre were in for quite a surprise during their oyster lunch. While consuming one of the bivalves, Raymond Salha’s wife made an amazing discovery - one of her oysters contained 26 pearls inside!

Realizing their value, the couple contacted the city’s maritime museum who sent a team over to examine the goods. The team took the pearls and the oyster away for closer examination. The report back? The team only counted 25 pearls (though Salha insists that there was 26!)

And while the pearls themselves aren’t worth a tremendous sum of money, the fact of one oyster containing so many pearls is highly unusual and impressive.

Currently the oyster and the pearls are on display at the restaurant. When asked whether the owners plan on reporting the oyster to the Guinness Book of World Records, Salha had this this to say:

”If they read about it and find that it is a record, then they can come and record it themselves,” he said.

In the meantime, Salha will wonder what happened to that 26th pearl.

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