The two whales were caught in the act for the first time ever. Photo: Marine Mammal Science
Since humpback whales live in a decidedly different environment from us, there’s a lot about them we don’t know. Sure, we’ve collected quite a bit of information about them over the years, but one thing in particular has evaded researchers: no one has ever seen them… doing the deed. Until now, that is. But the “deed” wasn’t exactly what researchers expected.
Of all the footage shot and research collected, humpback whales have never ben captured on film in the act of copulation. But in January of 2022, two photographers were lucky enough to snap a few dirty photos of a pair of humpbacks having sex. The twist? The whales were both male.
The images were captured off the coast of Hawaii, where humpback sightings are common at that time of year.
“Despite decades of research on humpback whales around the world, reports of penis extrusion by males are relatively rare and copulation in humpback whales has not yet been documented,” the authors of a study about the images wrote. “This is the first report of penetration by a humpback whale, and the first report of sexual activity between two male humpback whales.”
Despite the relatively recent human rhetoric about sex and how it’s supposed to be done and who it’s supposed to be done with, it’s not all that uncommon for animals to engage in sexual acts with same-sex members of their species.
“In many species, the functions of sexual behavior extend beyond reproduction,” the study reads. “Heterosexual behavior often occurs in non-reproductive contexts and homosexual behavior is common in the animal kingdom. Sexual interactions between individuals of the same sex have been documented for a wide range of species.”
The photographers caught sight of the act off a 25-foot vessel just off the Molokini crater near Maui. The whales were in clear view of the boat, just a few feet from the surface.
“Whale A was in the lead, followed by Whale B,” they wrote. “When the two whales approached the boat, it was observed that Whale A appeared to have an unusual brown coloration of the body, which drew interest in documenting these animals. Photographic observations were made by holding Sony and Olympus cameras underwater from the rear swim step and over the side of the boat. Photographs were taken at a depth of approximately 0–0.25 m.”
With the engines off, the whales were seen circling the boat for about half an hour. Whale A was “visibly emaciated and covered in whale lice,” while Whale B pursued it. Whether it was sick or simply hard to get is impossible to say.
“It was slowly attempting to swim away from Whale B but was not making any sudden or powerful movements and did not dive out of sight at any point during the encounter,” the photographers explained. “It is possible that Whale A approaching and circling the boat was an attempt to block or seek refuge from Whale B. However, if so, Whale A was moving too slowly to be effective at evading the other animal. Both whales remained within approximately five meters of the surface for the duration of the encounter. Whale B had its penis extruded during the entirety of the encounter.”
Eventually, Whale B caught up to Whale A and… well, Whale B did his thing — although a little pitifully.
“Whale B repeatedly approached from the rear of Whale A and penetrated the second whale, appearing to hold Whale A in place with its pectoral fins,” the paper reads. “The penetrations were shallow, visually judged to be a few centimeters in depth. Each penetration was less than two minutes in duration. After the final penetration, Whale B dove and did not reappear. Whale A remained near the surface for a few minutes (visible from the boat) before diving. There were only two whales involved in this interaction, with no other whales detected in the surrounding area during the encounter.”
Whale A, as its condition indicated, was likely not in the best shape. When the photos were reviewed up close, it became clear that it had “a significant jaw injury that likely impaired normal feeding behavior.” Since it wasn’t in tip-top shape, researchers theorize that the interaction might not have been consensual, a belief that is backed up by previous research of whale behavior.
“At times, Whale A demonstrated an S-shaped posture during the encounter, a position characterized by an arched tail stock, lowered tail flukes, and slight lifting of the rostrum, such that the whale’s body resembles the letter S,” they wrote. “Researchers in Hawaiʻi previously explored the function of this posture and concluded that it primarily occurred during threatening interactions, such as during competitive groups, or during stressful situations, such as in response to a vessel approach or in the presence of divers. Therefore, it is possible that the use of this posture by Whale A meant that this behavior was unwelcome, but that Whale A lacked the energy to engage in avoidance strategies.”
