Humpback whales observed having gay sex
Things are getting very queer in the animal kingdom.
Despite decades of research on humpback whales, copulation by the species had not been documented by people – until now. The twist? The sexual encounter that was observed by researchers was between two male humpbacks.
Documented off the coast of Hawaii and written up in a recent scientific journal, the encounter was observed in January 2022.
The two whales approached the boat of the researchers, circled, and then began to engage in sexual activity while just a few metres below the boat. Researchers Lyle Krannichfeld and Brandi Romano took photos of what went down.
One of the whales was seen to be holding the other in place with its pectoral fins while penetrating it. The penises of male humpback whales are usually concealed in what is known as a genital slit to make it more streamlined while swimming. An unsheathed penis has only been witnessed a small number of times in the past.
Homosexual behaviour is common in the animal kingdom and has been observed among dolphins and orca whales, but never previously between humpback whales.
Which are the gayest animals?
Same-sex sexual behaviour has been observed in more than 1,500 animal species. Here are some of the gayest.
Penguins
It’s quite common for penguins to form same-sex couples, both in the wild and in captivity. Roy and Silo of New York City’s Central Park Zoo are among the most famous gay penguins – the Chinstrap Penguins successfully hatched an egg in 1999, their chick was called Tango.
Other notable same-sex penguin couples include Sphen and Magic in Sydney, and Skipper and Ping in Berlin.
It’s relatively common for zoos around the world to report same-sex penguin couples getting together during breeding season.
Giraffes
Male giraffes often display at lot of intimate affection towards each other. Researchers have observed same-sex necking, licking, nuzzling and mounting between male giraffes, as well as genital stimulation.
As a species, giraffes don’t form couples of any kind. Adult females live together in herds, and only mate with the transient males who manage to be dominant enough, or surreptitious enough, to visit them at the right time.
Seahorses
Seahorses are fairly incredible creatures.
Pygmy Seahorses are particularly special as it is the male who carries the fertilised eggs and gives birth to their offspring.
Pygmy Seahorses live on gorgonian seafans – camouflaging themselves by matching their colour and texture to the coral on which they live.