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Three Male Humpback Whales Intimate Social Behavior

Three socialising male humpback whales. During extended social interaction, one of the males nuzzled the ventral area of another whale several times, including nuzzling of the urogenital area. The first time I saw this, the whale being nuzzled emitted some sort of dark fluid. I think it was feces, but there was only a little, and the whales were relatively far, so I am uncertain what it was.

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Copyright: Copyright Tony Wu. All rights reserved. No duplication, reproduction or usage without prior written permission.
Image Size: 5760x3840 / 19.6MB; https://www.photoshelter.com/support/license#rm; https://www.tony-wu.com/contact-tony-wu; Humpback Whale Animalia Chordata Mammalia Eutheria Cetacea Mysticeti Balaenopteridae Megaptera novaeangliae Cetartiodactyla Baleen Whale CITES Appendix 1 Filter Feeder Endangered: IUCN Red List Marine Mammal Mysticete Rorqual Male Socializing South Pacific Tonga Vava'u
Contained in galleries: Humpback Whales Underwater

Three socialising male humpback whales. During extended social interaction, one of the males nuzzled the ventral area of another whale several times, including nuzzling of the urogenital area. The first time I saw this, the whale being nuzzled emitted some sort of dark fluid. I think it was feces, but there was only a little, and the whales were relatively far, so I am uncertain what it was.