In the pictures, the males were unexpectedly mating. In other whales, same-sex mating has been described before.
Humpback whales has been photographed mating for the first time. In the picture, two males are mating, and similar behavior has not been proven before in humpback whales.
The pictures were taken by two enthusiasts in January 2022 while they were boating in Hawaii Mauisaari by the sea.
Humpback whales have been studied for a long time already because the vocalizations of large males are loud and versatile. However, mating has not been described.
Science magazine reports on image and light Marine Mammal Sciencen article published in late February.
Pictures the story is told in a scientific journal by a researcher from the Pacific Whale Foundation Stephanie Stack.
Stack was once contacted by two photographers living on the island of Maui, Lyle Krannichfeld and Brandi Romano.
They wanted to tell how they encountered whales during a pleasure boating trip.
Observations and pictures were taken from a stationary boat, about two kilometers west of Mauisaari’s Molokin crater.
The cameramen saw two humpback whales approach their boat.
In Hawaii, it is illegal to swim or boat near humpback whales. However, this time the whales approached the boat and not the other way around.
The other light was clearly thin and its jaw had suffered hard. Maybe a boat or ship had hit it. The coloring was unusually brown.
Its skin was covered with whalebones. They are crustaceans that live in the folds of a whale’s thick skin. Lice were also a sign of the whale’s poor condition.
THE BOATERS put the cameras underwater. The whales swim around the boat for about 30 minutes.
A healthy-looking whale repeatedly approached the first whale. With the help of its pectoral fins, it was able to hold the weaker whale in its fields.
Then the stronger whale mated with the weaker one, he says website Live Science. The couple offered the opportunity to film the mating several times.
In response to the harassment, the sicker whale contorted its body into the shape of the letter S. Humpback whales take that position when they feel threatened.
The weaker whale slowly tried to swim away. However, it did not move quickly and did not dive deeper.
Whales differences in health complicate how mating can be interpreted.
Animals behavior that can be considered homosexual has been described generally, as In the journal Nature in October. It has also been described in whales, but not in humpback whales.
This kind of behavior of whales can be related to strengthening their own position in the flock.
At the same time, the male can learn to reproduce or form alliances. In this way, it can even reduce the tensions in the flock.
Another possibility is that the stronger whale mistook the male for the female.