A rare sight literally stopped traffic on the Courtney Campbell Causeway on Tuesday afternoon.

There was a lot of splashing in the water just yards from the road and it drew dozens of people out of their cars to catch a glimpse of what is called a "manatee mating ball."

People stopped to watch for good reason because it is a very rare sight that you can only see every 3 to 5 years. For a female manatee, deciding between suitors can be difficult. There are at least seven male manatees competing for a single female's attention.

The male's strategy is to push the female into shallow water in order to mate with her.

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