The love of giants or the subtleties of mating whales

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

The biggest animals on earth are whales. These mammals can reach 35 meters in length and weigh over 150 tons. Such dimensions allow them to easily conquer great depths and the harshest oceans. However, this raises a well-founded question: how do whales mate? After all, with such proportions of the body, it should be difficult for partners to find a comfortable position for intercourse, especially considering that the whole process takes place in the endless waters of the ocean.

Puberty and mating seasons

Most cetaceans reach sexual maturity at 3-6 years of age. True, by this age they have not yet acquired their true size. Therefore, it often happens that young males are left without female attention during mating games. They can only hope that at the end of all the preludes, there will still be one or two intact females in the area. The males are the most popularaged 12 to 25 years. By the standards of cetaceans, this is the most reproductive age.

The period of mating games varies depending on the habitat and species of cetaceans. For example, blue whales mate in autumn or winter, while humpback whales in the Southern Hemisphere prefer to make love only during the warm season. At the same time, males are always ready to mate, regardless of the season, and only females ovulate according to the calendar cycle.

Whale mating ritual

The mating ritual is similar for all cetaceans. Individuals ready for breeding gather in one place. Males play the main role in these games. It is they who are trying to attract the attention of the female they like. Quite often it happens that several gentlemen take care of one lady. In this case, she either chooses the most attractive one, or mates with them in turn. It should be noted that males do not show aggression towards competitors, on the contrary, they do their best to help each other in the process of seduction.

Whales mate themselves near the surface. In this case, sexual intercourse is possible only in a position when both partners are turned to each other with their belly. It is the adjustment process that takes the most time. As for the intercourse itself, it happens quite quickly, since two giants cannot swim on water for a long time in this position.