Cloudy with a chance of meatballs? Not if you’re in Florida. Now it’s “Colder with a chance of falling iguanas.” This is not a take-off on the earlier family motion picture, but the real-life situation in the Sunshine State. Beware falling iguanas. As a winter chill sets in, keep your eyes open—and up—as the tree-dwelling reptiles could lose their grip.
Cold weather leads to falling iguanas
It’s a sorry fact of nature. Iguanas are cold-blooded and need the normally warm Florida temperatures. But as the chill sets in, these loveable lizards simply pass out. A fainting iguana, which could scale in at as much as 25 pounds, could make a big impression—especially if it lands on you.
Back in 2022 when another cold snap migrated into Florida, biologist Joe Wasilewski sounded the warning in an interview with Patch: to wit, watch the thermometer. If temperatures drop below 40, “it’s gonna happen. If it’s in the 50s, they’re slow. If it’s in the 40s, they’re on the brink of falling. And if it’s in the 30s, they’re down.” Falling iguanas can be dangerous.
Snowbird RVers beware. Having a five-foot iguana drop onto your extended awning could help to break the poor critter’s fall, but it could break something else—your awning arms. “When it gets cold like this, it’s funny to those who aren’t from here to see the newspeople talking about iguanas falling from trees, but it can and will happen,” Wasilewski related.
So watch your head—and your awning. Should you find a stunned iguana, it’s best to call in a professional reptile remover. When recovering, the big critters can whip their tails at high speed, and they carry both sharp teeth and sharp nails. Falling iguanas are not to be trifled with.
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Thank you, Russ and Tina! Wow! That is certainly a remarkable circumstance. I wonder if there is some type, or types, of tree that iguanas especially prefer? I doubt that they are as far north as East Tennessee. Besides, we are in the upper 20° for overnight lows here, so I guess all the falling has happened. Have a great day and safe travels! 🙂
Iguanas are a pest species in Florida and an environmental disaster! Here’s some information from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission: Green iguanas cause damage to residential and commercial landscape vegetation and are often considered a nuisance by property owners. Iguanas are attracted to trees with foliage or flowers, most fruits (except citrus) and almost any vegetable. Some green iguanas cause damage to infrastructure by digging burrows that erode and collapse sidewalks, foundations, seawalls, berms and canal banks. Green iguanas may also leave droppings on docks, moored boats, seawalls, porches, decks, pool platforms and inside swimming pools.
Although primarily herbivores, researchers found the remains of tree snails in the stomachs of green iguanas in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, suggesting that iguanas could present a threat to native and endangered species of tree snails. In Bahia Honda State Park, green iguanas have consumed nickerbean, which is a host plant of the endangered Miami Blue butterfly. As is the case with other reptiles, green iguanas can also transmit the infectious bacterium Salmonella to humans through contact with water or surfaces contaminated by their feces.
All the iguanas in Florida came from pet owners who released them when they got too big. You have to have a permit to own an iguana in Florida now. Definitely not lovable lizards!
We have friends in CA who had a pet iguana. That sucker was huge!