If you are prone to fits of giggling at words firmly rooted in serious scientific study but, when removed from that astute context, have quite graphic sexual connotations, then you’d better strap in because I’m about to blow your mind. According to research published in Animal Behavior and Cognition and reported by IFLScience , humpback whales are engaging in a rare behavior known as—are you ready for it?—“gaping.” It’s when the whales opened their gigantic mouths big and wide, even when there’s nothing around to eat. Researchers have no idea why the whales were gaping, but they do know they would not have known this was even happening if not for whale-watching tourists armed with smartphones. Videos by VICE Usually, if a humpback whale opens its massive jaw, it’s to eat, as it lunges through swarms of krill or small fish, filtering out the water through baleen plates.…