NSFW Video Shows Two Male Gray Whales Seemingly Having Sex

As one of the Earth’s largest animals, it should come as no surprise that the gray whale is also equipped with one of the planet’s largest penises. In the case of gray whales, size also comes with skill. Cetacean penises are incredibly agile and impessively maneuverable, allowing male whales to adapt to female anatomy, changing shape through dexterity and muscular control. 

All of these characteristics are shown in drone footage showing two male whales rolling, rubbing, and exhibiting their full-fledge glory – yes, their penises – just off the California coast. 

Domenic Biagini, owner of the San Diego-based whale-watching company Gone Whale Watching, says he captured the video in April 2023 during the gray whale migration off the coast of southern California.

“The whales suddenly just lose their darn minds. They start rolling around, and then the next thing you know, the ‘Pink Floyds’ come out, and it’s just all of a sudden whale willies flapping all over the place,” said Biagini. “It’s very interesting and amusing to observe.” 

Male gray whales, Eschrichtius robustus, “get randy” during testosterone surges triggered by environmental conditions, according to the Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory.

Leigh Torres of the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute studies marine megafauna and the life cycles of the ocean’s largest animals. Torres has studied gray whales off the coast of Oregon since 2015, and says that the animals are not monogamous, but live in a type of reproductive system known as sperm competition. 

The cool thing about whales is that they can manipulate their penis, intentionally moving it around.

Leigh Torres

“What that means is that multiple whales will mate with one female over one reproductive season but only one will impregnate the female,” explained Torres. The males experience high levels of testosterone that helps them compete against one another to reproduce. 

“They need to develop their sperm and they need to practice getting their penis out. The cool thing about whales is that they can manipulate their penis, intentionally moving it around,” said Torres. 

The two male whales are essentially “exploring their hormones” and more or less practicing how to have sex with a female. Although Torres says she’s never seen a male penetrate another male, experts have observed groups of animals “with multiple penises flying around.”

“I don’t think the males in this video are in love with each other or have a gay relationship, they’re mainly just horsing around and getting their bodies and gear ready for the real deal,” said Torres. However, multiple species of whales and dolphins are among the over 1,500 species documented exhibiting same-sex behavior. 

Weighing up to 40,800 kilograms (90,000 pounds or 45 tons), gray whales have one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal, traveling around 16,000 kilometyers (10,000 miles) from the warmer waters of Baja, California, Mexico to Alaska. During winter, whales reproduce and give birth to calves in the Mexican lagoons. Torres says this behavior is much more commonplace at this point. It’s less common on foraging grounds along the western North American coast, but it has been observed late in the foraging season when whales are near the end of their southbound migration. 

Male gray whales are known to engage in “promiscuous behavior,” and have been observed doing so for years. 

Biagini's video shows animals behaving in ways that feel natural to them, “almost as if it’s like a rehearsal for the actual mating and breeding and socializing event that’s going to take place in their breeding lagoons.” 

“They’re just literally living and doing what feels right and natural to them,” he said.