Florida residents have been told to keep an eye on iguanas falling from the sky this weekend.
According to WFTV, these reptiles can drop down to the ground as some regions experience a cold snap this weekend — especially on Saturday night.
Vivian Gonzalez, a weather anchor at Miami’s Fox-affiliated station WVSN, tweeted, “We’ve entered FALLING IGUANA territory as temps. are in the widespread 40’s across Broward & Miami-Dade.”
“They slow down or become immobile when temps. drop & could fall from trees, but they are not dead. Don’t approach. Once the sun is out, they will move,” she added.
This isn’t the first time meteorologists have warned the public about this, according to KIRO7. Back in 2020, the Miami National Weather Service shared a post on Twitter explaining the phenomenon.
“Iguanas are cold-blooded. They slow down or become immobile when temps drop into the 40s,” the post read. “They may fall from trees, but they are not dead.”
According to AccuWeather, these cold-blooded reptiles are not native to Florida and are actually considered invasive species.
- They struggle to maintain their core body temperature when it drops, which results in them becoming stiff, immobile and likely to fall out of trees, usually when they are asleep.
- They survive their fall to the ground and are often shocked to find themselves there to begin with as they spring back to life.
Mind you, these creatures can be up to 5 feet long and weigh up to 25 pounds, so, they have the ability to injure a person.