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