First whale sex sighting – and it’s two males
Explanation as to why gay humpback encounter took place is ‘million-dollar question’, say scientists
‘Sexual interactions between individuals of the same sex are documented for a wide range of species’ ‘There is still a great deal to learn about the lives of humpback whales’
A PAIR of humpback whales were observed having sex for the first time ever by scientists – and both of them were male.
Why humpbacks engage in gay penetrative sex is “the million-dollar question”, researchers say. The highly unusual behaviour was observed by two photographers, Brandi Romano and Lyle Krannichfeld, off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Maui.
The photographers showed the images to Dr Stephanie Stack, an expert from the Pacific Whale Foundation, which is based in Hawaii.
“They shared the photos with me for my opinion, and when I saw them, I was just stunned. Humpback whale copulation has never been seen or documented before anywhere in the world. So that’s a very special and amazing encounter,” she told National
Geographic magazine.
The behaviour was documented in a paper published by the journal Marine
Mammal Science. “Humpback whales are a species whose social behaviour has been studied for decades, but whose sexual behaviour remains largely undescribed,” the scientists said.
“Despite decades of research on humpback whales around the world, reports of penis extrusion by males are relatively rare.
“This is the first report of penetration by a humpback whale, and the first report of sexual activity between two male humpback whales.”
The two whales are part of a population that has been studied for more than 40 years. Scientists were able to identify them and knew that they were both males. The fact that the penis of one of the whales was readily visible in the sexual encounter also led to no doubts about its gender.
The whales engaged in several copulating sessions, with each encounter lasting about two minutes.
Scientists have suggested that there are several possible reasons why two male humpbacks might have sex. It could be that it offers them practice for future encounters with female whales, or it could be a means by which one male establishes its dominance over the other whale.
Another possibility is that it is a way for the mammals to bond, or it may be that one whale was giving physical comfort to the other.
That last theory is supported by the fact that one of the whales appeared to be in a poor state of overall health – it was emaciated, possibly owing to an injury to its jaw that would have made feeding difficult. It was also seen to be carrying a high number of parasitic whale lice.
The precise reason for the gay sexual encounter is “the million-dollar question”, according to Dr Stack.
“Given how little we understand about humpback whale reproduction, and how much we’re still understanding about their social dynamics, I wouldn’t venture a guess as to exactly what motivated the behaviour.”
Same-sex activity has been observed previously in several species of marine mammal, including killer whales, grey whales, bowhead whales, walruses, seals and dolphins.
“Homosexual behaviour is common in the animal kingdom,” the scientists wrote in their report. “Sexual interactions between individuals of the same sex have been documented for a wide range of species.
“In male cetaceans, homosexual activity can involve insertion of the penis of one male into the genital slit or anus of another male.”
The researchers said that “the purpose of non-reproductive behaviour is varied”. They added: “Proposed functions include learning or practising reproductive behaviours, establishing or reinforcing dominance relationships, forming social alliances, and/or a reduction in social tension.”
Whale experts came across hints that male humpbacks might engage in sex with each other in 1998.
Prof Adam Pack, then a marine researcher, published an account of a male humpback with its penis visible being observed swimming up to another male, which had died, and then wrapping its pectoral fins around the deceased creature.
“It seemed to be attempting either some type of dominance display, or maybe this was a signal for copulation, or an invitation. We didn’t know,” said Prof Pack, the founder and director of the Hilo Marine Mammal Laboratory at the University of Hawaii.
There is still a great deal to learn about the lives of humpback whales, he said. “It’s trying to piece all these nuggets together to tell a story.”