Humpback Whales Show Homosexual Behavior in First Documented Copulation

Humpback whales are homosexuals. This was proven when two baleens were caught on camera engaging in sex.

Humpback Whales Caught Having Sex For The First Time

Two humpback whales were caught on camera having sex. The encounter was captured by photographers Lyle Krannichfeld and Brandi Romano. Romano was the first to notice when the two whales approached their private boat.

In their observation, the first whale was in terrible health. He had a severe injury on his lower jaw, presumably from being struck by a ship, and was skinny and covered with lice.

Throughout the entire engagement, the second whale, who appeared to be in outstanding physical shape, had his penis protruded. He went over to his sick friend again and again, propping him up with his pectoral fins while repeatedly inserting his penis into the genital slit, which is the entry to the hole where the penis is normally hidden.

It was clear that the first whale had been ill for some time and might even be near death. This makes the interaction difficult for researchers to explain, as there are several reasons why the second whale might have engaged in sexual activity.

One could have been strengthening a social connection with a sick friend. However, there are other less helpful justifications. It's possible that the second whale was attempting to establish his superiority over a lesser male or that he was attempting to appear bigger and more physically fit in comparison. The first whale was often observed to assume a possibly protective stance. According to the researchers, this could imply that although the sexual behavior was unwanted, the sick whale was too weak to resist it.

The observations provide far more questions than answers on humpback whale sexual behavior.

"The documented instance of male-male nonreproductive behavior presented here, including the unique case of an apparently injured and ailing whale being penetrated by a seemingly healthy counterpart, raise intriguing questions about the nature of such behavior in humpback whales," the researchers said.

"The limited data available on this behavior emphasizes the need for further research to explore the motivations, implications, and potential factors influencing such interactions, especially in the context of healthy individuals."

Humpback Whales Being Homosexual

Stephanie Stack, a biologist with the Pacific Whale Foundation and the study's senior author, described the interaction as unsurprising. According to her, homosexuality is widespread in the animal kingdom and well-documented for many species of cetaceans, even though this is the first time it has been observed for humpback whales.

The first recorded copulation of humpback whales contributes significantly to their knowledge of these amazing animals and provides new perspectives on how this species reproduces, according to Stack.

She added that although humpback whales' social interactions and migration patterns are very well known, little is known about their reproductive habits. There is little evidence of humpback whale penises being sighted, and their copulation has never before been recorded before the said sighting.

Check out more news and information on Animals in Science Times.