Florida’s cold snap can cause iguanas to fall from trees; here’s why it happens
As residents across the Gulf Coast and Southeast brace for a significant drop in temperatures this week, experts say there's a chance cold-stunned iguanas could be dropping from trees.
Cold weather is coming on Christmas Day, and that has prompted the second alert of its kind in 2020 for South Florida: There could be falling iguanas.
As residents across Florida experience significant temperature drops Thursday night and Friday morning, AccuWeather meteorologists say iguanas could fall from trees in the South Florida.
Temperatures in the state are forecast to drop as a cold front moves through Thursday, with cities like Jacksonville and Tallahassee having low temperatures in the 20s at night. Cities such as Orlando and Lakeland could drop as low as the mid-30s. Miami is expected to reach 47, with 42 in West Palm Beach.
"Green iguanas are sensitive to the cold and can become stunned when temperatures fall into the 40s and 30s," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said. "When that happens, they may lose their grip and fall from the trees. It’s a unique cold-weather hazard in Florida."
These cold-blooded reptiles can become "cold-stunned" and can lose their grip on branches when temperatures drop below their tolerance threshold. After falling from a tree, they appear to be dead but remain breathing with critical body functions still operating. When temperatures start to rise throughout the morning, the iguanas can spring back into action.
An iguana comes back to "life" after being cold-stunned in 2020. (Frank Guzman, WSVN-TV)
Green iguanas, introduced to Florida decades ago from Central and South America, live mainly in the southern half of the state and are not adapted to temperatures below 45 F. They begin to get sluggish or lethargic once the temperature drops below 50 F.
Most of the state will fall below that critical 45-degree mark Friday morning.
“When it gets cold like this, it’s funny to those who aren’t from here to see the news people talking about iguanas falling from trees, but it can and will happen,” Joe Wasilewski, a conservation biologist and a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Iguana Specialist Group, told Patch.
A cold stunned iguana waits to warm up in Dreher Park after temperatures dropped on Jan. 22, 2020 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
When fully grown, iguanas can be up to 5 feet long and weigh up to 25 pounds. Such large lizards falling from trees can injure unaware humans who don't normally prepare for raining reptiles.
While the sight of an iguana on the ground can seem bizarre, experts advise against moving them. The best thing to do is just leave them alone. The iguanas will typically recover when temperatures rise back to around 50 F. However, prolonged extreme cold can be fatal for the reptiles.
Michael Ronquillo, a professional iguana remover and owner of Humane Iguana Control, warns that falling iguanas can be dangerous.
“Imagine, you come here early in the morning to walk your pets and you’re not aware there are iguanas up there. They can fall on you, on roofs, on cars,” he told NBC 6 in South Florida.
An iguana falls from a tree in southern Florida as an unseasonable cold snap enveloped the Sunshine State on Tuesday night into Wednesday. (WPLG / ABC Newsone)
"Iguanas are not viewed favorably by South Floridians; however, they're not aggressive and don't attack or harm humans or pets, so people generally view them more as pests than a real threat," Robert Molleda, a warning coordination meteorologist with the NWS in Miami, told AccuWeather. "However, their droppings can contain the salmonella bacteria."
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