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* It's the first photographed instance of humpback whale mating behavior * Both whales were male, one healthy and one in poor condition * Many species of animals are known to engage in homosexual behavior ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (NewsNation) — Scientists captured images of humpback whales mating for the first time ever and discovered the two whales in question were both males. The photographs, published in “Marine Mammal Science,” are unique because copulation between humpback whales has never been photographed during decades of research on the species. The animals were spotted off the coast of Hawaii by two photographers on a private...

A 30-foot humpback whale was found dead on the shores of Fire Island on Friday morning — at least the 18th doomed humpback discovered on the East Coast this year. The tragic majestic mammal was found belly-up on the eastern side of Smith Point County Park in Shirley, Long Island, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The animal’s body has been collected for a necropsy, NOAA told Patch in a statement. The cause of death is unknown.

On her podcast, Fast Politics, author and journalist Molly Jong-Fast asked Gisele Barreto Fetterman, wife of Democratic Pennsylvania Senate candidate, John Fetterman, about an interview of her husband that resulted in controversy and accusations of ableism this week. Mrs. Fetterman expressed outrage that the reporter has not faced any “consequences” for it. When NBC News reporter Dasha Burns interviewed the Pennsylvania candidate, he relied on a closed-caption display as a visual aid, due to what he and his campaign have characterized as “audio processing” issues he’s experienced following a stroke this year. While talking about the interview, Burns noted that...

His name’s not Jonah — but this Cape Cod man sure has something in common with the biblical figure now. Commercial lobster diver Michael Packard was going about his business off the coast off Provincetown, Mass. when he was swallowed whole by a humpback whale — trapped in its gullet for nearly a minute before being coughed back up, according to a report. Packard, 56, was about 35 feet below the surface near Herring Cove Beach at 8 a.m. Friday when the massive mammal tried to turn him into breakfast, the Cape Cod Times reported. “All of a sudden, I...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has launched a review of whether it should take North Pacific humpback whales off the endangered species list. NOAA Fisheries is responding to a petition filed by a group of Hawaii fishermen saying the whale should no longer be classified as endangered because its population has steadily grown since the international community banned commercial whaling nearly 50 years ago. There are more than 21,000 humpback whales in the North Pacific, compared with about 1,400 in the mid-1960s.

A whale nearly swallowed two people on a kayak and a woman on a surfboard. The humpback whale lunged from out of nowhere just several feet away, forcing thousands of anchovies to the surface, with sea gulls swarming around the scene in search of breakfast. Barbara Roettger filmed the epic near-miss event near Santa Cruz, California where recently a sailboat collided with another humpback whale and at least one kayaker capsized. Oh, and for the record, humpback whales typically are about 50 feet long and weigh 50 tons. That’s a whopping 2000 pounds for every foot of whale. Short be...

Whale-watching tourists off western Australia saw more than they expected - and perhaps more than many of them wanted - last week. As two boats of observers took in the action, a humpback whale mother desperately and vainly tried to protect a calf from four predatory orcas. The video below, shot from a light aircraft that circled overhead as the action unfolded, isn't always easy to make out, but it shows the orcas circling as the humpback attempts to protect the calf by lifting it on to her back. (If you pause the video at about 12 seconds, you can...

A humpback whale which was freed from almost certain death by three men off the coast of California repaid the favour to its rescuers with a breathtaking display of breaches and dives. The amazing hour-long performance was caught on camera moments after the creature was cut free from fishing nets. When the boat came across the whale it was trapped with its tail and flippers hopelessly entangled in the nets. Scroll down to watch video The whale watchers first thought the humpback was already dead as it was floating on top of the water. But then it let out a...

It is the greatest animal battle on the planet, and it has finally been caught on camera. A BBC natural history crew has filmed the "humpback whale heat run", where 15m long, 40 tonne male whales fight it out to mate with even larger females. During the first complete sequence of this behaviour ever captured, the male humpbacks swim at high speed behind the female, violently jostling for access. The collisions between the males can be violent enough to kill.

Photograph shows whale's first breath The moment a mother humpback whale lifted up her calf to take its first breath has been captured on camera in Australia. By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent Jul 23, 2009 The footage is also thought to be the first time a humpback whale has been filmed giving birth in the wild Photo [Pic in URL] Researchers were surveying humpback whales off Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia when they noticed blood around a female. On closer inspection, they noticed a calf struggling to breath before the mother dived beneath the surface to lift up her new...

A new white humpback has been sighted off Byron Bay on the east coast of Australia. The newcomer, which was filmed by a television news helicopter, has excited marine scientists who think it may be related to Migaloo - to date, the only known all-white humpback whale.

A local company has designed a new type of wind-turbine blade that mimics the aerodynamic performance of a humpback whale's flipper, allowing a turbine to capture more of the wind's energy at much lower speeds. The odd-looking blades, which have teeth-like bumps along their leading edge, are a dramatic departure from the smooth and sleek design that graces most wind turbines. But Stephen Dewar, co-founder of Toronto-based WhalePower Corp., says the new approach could have a profound impact on wind-energy economics. It means turbines manufactured with WhalePower blades would be capable of capturing energy where the wind is less strong,...

apan's whaling fleet was set to leave port Sunday for its biggest-ever scientific whale hunt in the South Pacific, the government fisheries agency said. The whalers have orders to kill up to 50 humpback whales — the first known large-scale hunt for the species since a 1963 moratorium put humpbacks under international protection. The new hunt is certain to renew Japan's angry standoff with anti-whaling forces. Greenpeace and the animal rights activist group Sea Shepherd have said they will track the South Pacific hunt. Four ships including the lead craft, the 8,044-ton Nisshin Maru, were set to leave Sunday morning...

Humpback nuzzled saviors in thanks after they untangled her from crab lines, diver says A humpback whale freed by divers from a tangle of crab trap lines near the Farallon Islands nudged rescuers and flapped around in what marine experts said was a rare and remarkable encounter. ... The 45- to 50-foot female humpback, estimated to weigh 50 tons, was on the humpbacks' usual migratory route between the Northern California coast and Baja California when it became entangled in the nylon ropes that link crab pots. It was spotted by a crab fisherman at 8:30 a.m. Sunday in the open...

December 11, 2005Last modified December 11, 2005 - 1:06 pm Brokeback Mountain shows in Jackson Associated PressJACKSON - Movie director Ang Lee was in town Saturday for the showing of his latest film, "Brokeback Mountain," and he attended a question-and-answer session and party after the showing. The movie tells a story about two Wyoming cowboys who fall in love but lead heterosexual lives and keep their love secret. It is an adaptation from a short story by Centennial-based writer Annie Proulx. While based on characters in Wyoming, the movie was filmed in Canada. A forum about the movie's subject matter...