So that’s why they call them humpbacks! Whales pictured engaging in copulation for the first time ever

Leaping for joy : A humpback breaches the waters, potentially after a little underwater fun

22 June 2012 (Eddie Wrenn). This image is the first ever time humpback whales have been ‘caught in the act’.

Some readers may snigger, but most will probably agree with National Geographic photographer Jason Edwards, who calls this a ‘brief but tender’ moment, as two whales engage in copulation off the shores of Tonga, near New Zealand.

Edwards said he was stunned by the ‘amazing’ moment.

He said: ‘There were four or five males vying for her attention and while the larger ones were busy jostling each other, the smallest one swam away with the female.

‘Their coupling lasted less than 30 seconds, which might explain why it’s never been captured on film before.’

Whales mate during ‘heat runs’, where the 50-foot-long, 88,000-pound mammals swim around each other, attempting to woo their desire mate.

In a somewhat risque description of the act, it is reported that  ‘the female allowed the male to grapple her on a slight angle, sliding in from behind until his belly touched.

‘Placing a pectoral fin over her flank, he stroked her gently during the act. After the pair broke apart, the female released a burst of bubbles from her mouth, rather than through the spout.

Edwards said ‘the purpose of this bubble release is still unclear, however it may have signalled to the male that the reproductive act was over.’

The image was taken in 2010 but has only just been released, after the researchers concluded their studies of whale reproduction.

The images are part of the forthcoming National Geographic Channel series Great Australians.

Tenderly floating in the deep… This is the first time the humpback whale has been documented mating

Source