Humpback whales observed having gay sex
Despite decades of research on humpback whales, copulation by the species had not been documented by people – until now. The twist? The sexual encounter that was observed by researchers was between two male humpbacks.
Documented off the coast of Hawaii and written up in a recent scientific journal, the encounter was observed in January 2022.
The two whales approached the boat of the researchers, circled, and then began to engage in sexual activity while just a few metres below the boat. Researchers Lyle Krannichfeld and Brandi Romano took photos of what went down.
One of the whales was seen to be holding the other in place with its pectoral fins while penetrating it. The penises of male humpback whales are usually concealed in what is known as a genital slit to make it more streamlined while swimming. An unsheathed penis has only been witnessed a small number of times in the past.
Homosexual behaviour is common in the animal kingdom and has been observed among dolphins and orca whales, but never previously between humpback whales.