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The Guardian: Humpback sex photographed for first time – and both whales were male


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Humpback whales have been observed having sex for the first time, with this landmark moment having an interesting twist – the two whales were male.

 

Despite decades of research on humpback whales, sightings of the male’s penis have been rare. Copulation by the species had not been documented by people – until now, when two photographers captured images of a sexual encounter between two whales off the coast of Hawaii.

 

The sighting, confirmed by scientists in a newly published study, occurred in January 2022 in waters west of the island of Maui, where two whales approached and circled a boat before engaging in sexual activity about three to five meters below the vessel.

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Both of the whales were male, which makes the photos, taken by Lyle Krannichfeld and Brandi Romano, the first evidence of homosexual behavior in humpback whales as well as the first sighting of sex in the species. Homosexual behavior is common in the animal kingdom and has been spotted among dolphins and orca whales, but never previously between humpback whales.

 

Stephanie Stack, a whale researcher at the Pacific Whale Foundation and lead author of the new paper, said that the sexual behavior of humpback whales had “remained mostly a mystery until now”.

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Humpback whales are hefty lovers, measuring up to 16 meters (or 52ft) in length and weighing as much as 36 tons, which is the weight of several buses. The species typically spends the summer feeding in polar waters before migrating to warmer, tropical climes during fall and winter. Once threatened by commercial whaling, humpback numbers have rebounded in recent years.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/28/humpback-whales-sex-photographed-homosexual-behavior

 

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Anyone can correct me on this, but when gay sex among animals was first being observed and documented in modern science, there was a lot of reluctance and pushback with respect to religion and implications on humans having gay sex.

 

It is now only shocking how common it is for people that don't know how common it is.  When I saw that some species had gay sex, espwcially males, as part of "kissing and making up" after a big fight to keep the peace and probably evolved this social trait out of neccesity, my whole perspective on this conversation changed.

 

Some people don't want to know, it'd f up their world view, doesn't make it any less true.

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