Only in Florida: Hot Manatee-on-Manatee Action

A Rare Sight to See, Indeed

In my column Only in Florida, I'll be taking you down to the Sunshine State for the latest and greatest sex stories that can only be found in the craziest state in the union. 

I can remember being on a family trip when I was younger in which we were driving through some farm country in the middle of nowhere. All of a sudden my oldest sister, who was driving, suddenly stopped the car to point out the fact a cow and bull were getting it on in a field. We had a laugh and proceeded to drive on to our destination. But I guess things are different when you live in Florida. Yes in Tampa, Florida, traffic actually came to a stop so residents could watch a manatee orgy.  

Well, I guess orgy is the wrong term, because in the animal kingdom, many males fight for the attention of one female and the female decides which one to mate with. So it’s not like all the manatees were getting it on. Still, drivers caused a bit of a traffic jam by pulling over to stand watch the hot manatee-on-manatee action or what is know as "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.  

Look, I get that it’s a rare sight and everything, but aren’t manatees endangered? The last thing these manatees need is a bunch of people watching them trying to have sex. It’s called performance anxiety people; let’s give the Manatees a little privacy when they get it on.  

Or at least blast some Marvin Gay or Barry White from your cars.

To see the manatees in action and the onlookers, check out the report on ABC Action News.