The U.S. state of Florida experienced unusually cold weather, causing green iguanas—cold-blooded reptiles and invasive species—to be unable to withstand the low temperatures, resulting in many becoming cold-stunned and falling from trees to the ground.
Last weekend, southern Florida faced a sudden cold wave, especially in Miami, a normally warm city and primary habitat for green iguanas. On Sunday, 1 Feb 2024 GMT+7, temperatures dropped to approximately 1-4 degrees Celsius, triggering the "iguana drop" phenomenon. As cold-blooded animals, they cannot adapt to severe cold; their bodily functions shut down, rendering them immobile and causing them to fall from trees to the ground.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) issued a special order on 1-2 Feb 2024 GMT+7 to address the situation, allowing the public to capture and relocate cold-stunned green iguanas immediately without the usual permits. People can bring captured iguanas to any of the five FWC offices.
Since iguanas are invasive species, they are humanely euthanized or, in some cases, sold in the pet trade.
Iguanas are tropical animals found only in southern and central Florida because they cannot tolerate cold. When temperatures drop, they enter a "cold-stunned" state, becoming immobile and unresponsive.
However, when temperatures warm up, they gradually recover and regain movement. During their immobile state, they are vulnerable to predators. FWC notes these iguanas often burrow along canal banks or drainage pipes, causing significant damage to local ecosystems.