Will Florida Get Falling Iguanas For Christmas?
It’s such a Florida thing. As snow gently blankets the rest of the country this Christmas, huge green lizards in Florida go into a trance-like state resembling hibernation, falling out of trees and plopping to the ground like a headshot victim in a Tarantino movie. But do you really know why? Do you know when? I do.
Iguanas aren’t from here, but they are definitely not of the snowbird variety. They are used to a very warm climate. Because they have not yet adapted to our cooler climate this time of year, their bodies freak the hell out when they get cold. People starting paying attention and asking questions about two years ago, when the National Weather service in Miami first issued bizarre weather alerts for Florida. The bulletins were called “falling iguana” warnings, and with a name like that, we all wondered WTF. The truth is, falling iguana warnings are exactly what you think they are. But why do iguanas suddenly fall form trees when it gets cold?
Iguanas are cold-blooded (kinda like your ex), and their bodies aren’t capable of adapting to the cold like ours. When the temperature drops into the 40s, iguanas become lethargic and slow moving. Eventually, they stop moving entirely and lose all muscle control. That’s when they plop out of their traditionally high perches and go splat on the ground. While they look dead, they are most certainly not. In fact, authorities say you should never grab one of the frozen critters and bring it into your home. When they wake up, they will probably be a bit pissed.
Now that you know wassup, enjoy all of these pics of cold-stunned iguanas from all over South Florida. One last thing, please take the threat of falling iguanas seriously. Male iguanas can grow to 5-feet-long and weigh up to 20 pounds. females can lay up to about 80 eggs a year. This Christmas weekend will probably get cold enough to produce lots of reports and social media posts about iguana-pops across the area.
Green Iguanas were first reported in South Florida in the 1960s. A cold winter in 2010 decimated their population, but they have sprung back since then. They can now be seen as far north as the Gulf Coast. Source: Fox13News.com
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