Iguana population may be learning to adapt after recent Florida cold snap
Experts disagree on what percentage of the iguana population in Florida might have been killed in the recent cold snap, but there are signs the species is beginning to adapt.
Freezing weather in Florida led to thousands of cold-stunned iguanas across the Sunshine State on Feb. 1.
Iguana populations may have been hurt by late-January's unusual cold snap in Florida, but that may not have a long-term effect on the invasive species.
A total of 87 daily record lows were broken in Florida between Jan. 30 and Feb. 2, with 22 stations setting a record low for the month of February. Daytona Beach set a new all-time record low temperature of 19 degrees, the coldest since records began in 1962.
(L-R) Blake Wilkins and Andrew Baron, who are Redline Iguana Removal trappers, unload cold-stunned as well as dead green iguanas from the back of a pickup truck after they collected them during a cold spell on February 02, 2026, in Hollywood, Florida. Blake Wilkins, a trapper for Redline Iguana Removal, said in the last two days, they have collected about 2500 iguanas, and he has never seen anything like it in his years of trapping. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
"Iguanas are sensitive to the cold and can become stunned when temperatures fall into the 40s and 30s," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham explained. "When that happens, they may lose their grip and fall from the trees. It’s a unique cold-weather hazard in Florida." After falling from a tree, they appear to be dead but remain breathing with critical body functions still operating.
Iguanas are considered an invasive species in Florida. Thanks to a temporary emergency order, nearly 5,200 cold-stunned iguanas were turned in to Florida Fish & Wildlife, which humanely killed the animals in accordance with AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals.
A cold stunned iguana waits to warm up in Dreher Park after temperatures dropped on Jan. 22, 2020 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Ron Magill, Goodwill Ambassador at Zoo Miami, says it's impossible to estimate the percentage of iguanas killed statewide by last month's cold weather, because there's no good data on how many iguanas actually call Florida home.
Magill believes the iguanas are becoming more resilient, and we could be seeing "survival of the fittest" happening in real time.
"My theory is that many of the ones that chose to stay exposed in trees died, as did the genes that help determine that behavior," Magill said. "The ones that survived will likely pass on those genes to the next generation and create a more resilient population of iguanas."
An iguana comes back to "life" after being cold-stunned in 2020. (Frank Guzman, WSVN-TV)
Steve Kavashansky, owner of Iguana Busters, told WPBF that he estimates a 30% reduction in their numbers, based on what he's seeing after the warmth returned.
Kavashansky noted that the larger, older, "alpha male" iguanas were hit hardest by the low temperatures, because they usually stay in trees. On the other hand, Kavashansky said many of the females survived and are still carrying their eggs.
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