Strange phenomenon
Why the Florida Weather Service warns of iguanas falling from trees
Iguanas originally come from southern America. Wildlife is abundant in Florida.
© Drazen_ / Getty Images
There are many free-ranging green iguanas in Florida. Temperatures are expected to drop noticeably there. For the scaled reptiles – and people who hang out under trees – this becomes a problem.
The US weather service has warned of iguanas falling from trees in Florida. The animals are not sick or even dead. Iguanas are cold-blooded, which means that their body temperature adapts to the environment. Cooler temperatures are currently expected for the sun-drenched and usually warm US state. As soon as the temperatures are in the single digits, the animals go into a kind of cold rigidity: they become immobile and can no longer stay in the trees in this state.
To prevent painful and potentially dangerous human-animal encounters, the weather service decided to issue a warning. Winter is coming to Florida this weekend, the wrote “NWS Weather Prediction Center” on Twitter. “Some of our iguana friends down there are sleeping in such conditions and could fall.”
Well-known phenomenon – also in Florida
Iguanas can reach a length of up to two meters and a weight of nine kilograms. In Florida they are considered an invasive species because they were not originally native to the “Sunshine State”, but have proliferated there since the 1960s due to the good climatic conditions. In recent years, the number of animals is said to have increased significantly.
In 2019, a decision by the US state of Florida made headlines. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) encouraged homeowners to kill green iguanas “whenever possible” if animals were on their property. The agency pointed out that iguanas are not protected in Florida except under the anti-cruelty laws. However, the authority did not say how the animals were to be killed.
It’s not the first time weather officials have issued a tree-falling iguana warning. Corresponding announcements already attracted a lot of attention in 2018 and 2020. Typically, temperatures in Florida rarely drop below 15 degrees Celsius, even in January. However, if the temperatures – as is currently the case – drop into the single digits, it is advisable not to stay under the trees.