Getting that ‘Moby Dick’ — The first humpback whales to be seen having sex are both male

For the first time, researchers have observed humpback whales having sex. Not only that, but both of the whales photographed were male, marking the first example of homosexuality demonstrated in the species.

The encounter occurred off the coast of Hawaii in January 2022, just a few meters under a researcher vessel. The photograph was taken by Lyle Krannichfeld and Brandi Romano, and published Tuesday in Marine Mammal Science.

Humpback whale penises had previously only been seen a handful of times, as they are typically sheathed in a “genital slit.” One sighting was during a similar incident reported in 1998, in which a male humpback had its penis extended as it approached the corpse of another male that had just died.

The whale in the recent case being penetrated appeared to be injured, with the other whale holding it in place with its pectoral fins. The researchers wrote that “possible explanations for this behavior are that Whale B was mistakenly trying to mate with Whale A, that it was reinforcing a social relationship with an ailing conspecific, or that it was an expression of dominance over a weak and injured competitor.”

observation sexual behavior two male humpback whales

via Marine Mammal Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Marine Mammalogy

Referencing the 1998 sighting, the researchers noted that “it is striking that the only two observations of such behavior in the scientific literature involve ailing or deceased whales,” and that “whether such behavior would occur between two healthy males is unknown.” Still, it is not unlikely, as homosexuality has been commonly demonstrated in other cetaceans — a classification of marine mammals encompassing whales and dolphins.

Stephanie Stack, a researcher at the Pacific Whale Foundation and lead author of the report, told The Guardian that the findings shed a light on sexual behavior in humpback whales, which has “remained mostly a mystery until now”.

“This discovery challenges our preconceived notions about humpback whale behavior,” she said. “While we have long recognized the complex social structures of these incredible creatures, witnessing the copulation of two male whales for the first time is a unique and remarkable event.”