Animal

Out cold: unseasonal temperatures litter south Florida with stunned iguanas


It truly was the night (and day) of the iguana.

After the National Weather Service (NWS) sent an unusual alert to south Florida residents on Tuesday night warning them of possible “falling iguanas” in light of unseasonably low temperatures, residents were indeed treated to a show of rigid reptiles out of the sky (or, actually, the trees).

The not-so-small creatures were seen motionless in the middle of sidewalks and backyards. While they looked dead, they were simple too cold to move. Iguanas start becoming sluggish when temperatures drop below 50F (10C) and are susceptible to freezing once temperatures drop to around 40F (4.5C). When frozen, they easily fall out of the trees they call home, appearing lifeless even though they aren’t dead.

Floridians shared videos of the phenomenon, giving Twitter an up-close look at the green-scaled reptiles that are probably dreaming of warmer climates, or at least spring.

Elina Shirazi
(@elinashirazi)

Yesterday, there was news no one believed…iguanas falling out of the sky due to cold temperatures. Here is a video sent by my friends at Redline Iguana Removal. #iguanas #FloridaWinter pic.twitter.com/8FUy2bVvpR


January 22, 2020

Daniel Cohen
(@DCohenNEWS)

Iguana know what this little?is dreaming of — probably Hawaii (No iguanas were harmed in the making of this clip) Just chillin’ ? #FallingIguanas @OfficialJoelF pic.twitter.com/bqFzLMSYZO


January 22, 2020

One user on Twitter happened to capture the resurrection of an iguana as it took in some warmth in the sunshine and slowly crawled back to life after being temporarily frozen.

Frank Guzman
(@fguzmanon7)

Those iguanas you see everywhere will eventually wake up and scurry off. Here’s one outside our Broward Bureau doing just that: pic.twitter.com/UKV6BtWuhU


January 22, 2020

Iguanas are an invasive species in Florida and can be little nuisances when not frozen. They can damage infrastructure by digging small burrows into sidewalks or foundations and leave their droppings on decks and inside swimming pools.

Wildlife conservationists recommend people should not touch frozen iguanas as they may come back to life and feel threatened if a person is close.





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.