During the intimate encounter photographed in Hawaii, one of the whales was seen to be holding the other in place with its pectoral fins while penetrating it. The whale underneath appeared to be ailing, being noticeably emaciated and covered in whale lice, white-colored parasites sometimes found on cetaceans.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-12/whale-lice-captured-on-hervey-bay-humpback/101518622

University of Sunshine Coast ecologist Alexis Levengood says the only way a whale becomes infested with lice is through body contact with another whale.

"They usually get them through mating or from aggression and if they’re fighting.

Might regret that.