Humpback whales caught having gay sex on camera make history
In a historic moment, two male humpback whales have been observed having sex for the first time. The scene was captured off the coast of Hawaii in January 2022 and has been verified in a new scientific study by the Marine Mammal Science journal.
The research reported that copulations have never previously been documented and sightings of an unsheathed penis are rare. This is due to a penis ordinarily being “concealed inside the animal’s genital slit”.
This has been presumed to allow the mammal to be more hydrodynamic in the water. In a male cetacean, such as a humpback whale, a penis can be inserted into the genital slit or anus of another male.
Gay behaviour is not unusual amongst aquatic mammals, with dolphins and orca whales previously spotted having same-sex activity.
