So yeah, it seems gray whales quite like having a threesome.
They do it on the regular, too.
That's according to Christopher Fitzsimmons, an education specialist at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
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He says the huge mammal regularly mates in pods of three, which usually includes two males and a female.
"This rolling and rubbing we see is believed to be the whales familiarising themselves with one another and making sure the female is receptive to mating," said Fitzsimmons.
It turns out that they 'use their pectoral fins to coerce and align females into mating positions'.
According to National Geographic: "Females have even been observed avoiding the attempts of males for days."
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Incase you wanted any pick up lines.
They also say: "Because gray whales are pregnant for approximately thirteen months and spend almost a year nursing, females are highly selective in choosing mates."
"Many times gray whales do mating triads and at times one male props the other male up to mate and then they flip flop positions," said Professor Carrie Newell, a marine biologist and gray whale researcher.
Fitzsimmons claims that dolphins can often be seen near large whale mating rituals and courtships, although the reasons why are unknown.
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"The gray obviously knows the dolphins are there and it appears that the gray is also having fun with the dolphins by swimming upside down," said Newell. She also noted that gray whales sometimes practice mating outside of times when females can become pregnant.
"Grays are very tactile creatures and are very intelligent.
"I think they probably mate just for the fun of it."
Dana Parks of SanDiegoBoattours.com explains the difference between gray whales and blue whales.
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She writes: "While the Blue Whale is known to be the largest species of whale at 96ft., the Gray Whale comes in at a not-so-close second with their length varying from 47ft. to as much as 50 ft. for females.
"The gray whale received its name from its obvious coloration, gray."
Incase you were wondering.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy/National Geographic/YouTubeTopics: World News, Animals
