Falling Iguanas in Florida

Florida's Current Weather Report: It's Raining Iguanas!

Home / Animals / Florida's Current Weather Report: It's Raining Iguanas!

By Melanie VanDerveer on December 26, 2022 at 1:30 PM EST

Cold temperatures with the chance of falling iguanas! Too crazy of a weather forecast to be true, right? Wrong!

In some parts of the country, it's snowing. In other parts, rain turning to ice is hitting the ground. And in Florida, it's iguanas hitting the ground!

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Iguanas Are Falling From Trees In Florida Thanks To Colder Temperatures

Florida Iguanas falling from trees
Mega

Florida is no stranger to odd things happening, but even the locals think this is a crazy phenomenon. Many have taken to social media to show the rest of the world just how crazy it is seeing iguanas just napping all over the ground in the cold after falling from the trees.

One TikToker, Capt.Ron, shared a video of him holding a stiff, sleeping iguana while explaining he just fell out of a tree. "Literally falling from the trees in Florida," he said as he held the unsuspecting frozen iguana.

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Another TikToker, Drummy45, shared a video of him moving a sleeping iguana out of harm's way. "He fell out of a tree, because it's too cold down here," he said as he picks up the frozen iguana and moved him from the road to a safer spot near a tree.

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Many of his followers had some funny commentary to add in the comment section. "IT’S A LIZARD BLIZARD!!!! Run for your lives!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhh," one person wrote. Another added a festive twist writing, "?Oh the weather outside is frigid, The iguanas become so rigid. And since they can't move at all, Let them fall, let them fall, let them fall!?"

TikToker Tori decided to not only help to educate people on this ongoing winter issue in Florida, but also try to help the little guys sleeping in the cold. "So if any of you were wondering if the falling iguana problem in Florida is actually real," she says just before showing an educational graphic to help people understand why this is happening.

Falling iguanas
Tori.storytime - TikTok
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She then shows a little iguana she found and added some context over the video writing, "I made him a little cot and put him in the sun." After a follower left the comment, "I'm dying," she replied, "I thought he was dead but he moved his toes when I picked him up ???" Another follower wrote, "The poor iguanas ?," to which Tori replied, "I came back later and he was gone! Hoping he thawed out okay."

So Why Is It Suddenly Raining Iguanas In Florida?

Falling Iguanas in Florida
MEGA

The Blast reported on this phenomenon earlier this year when iguanas were falling from the trees because of the colder than normal temperatures.

William Kern, a professor and reptile expert at the University of Florida recently told Newsweek, "Iguanas are cold-blooded and at night with no sun to provide solar warmth, they become torpid, unable to move." Because of this issue, the iguanas lose their grip and fall out of the trees onto the cold ground where they stay until they are warm enough to once again move.

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When the sun is out and shining, the iguanas are able to gain enough heat from the sun to increase their body temperature. But when it's overcast, it becomes more difficult. This happened in January 2010, according to Kern. "We had an extended cold spell for a week; lows in the upper 30s to low 40s. It was overcast for almost the entire week and the iguanas had no opportunity to bask and warm up," he explained. "This unusual set of conditions caused extensive mortality to green iguanas." Since that time, there have been several instances of nighttime temperatures stunning the iguanas making them fall out of the trees stunned.

Under these colder than normal conditions, it will be common to find frozen iguanas on the ground. When the temperatures rise to more normal conditions, the iguanas will warm up and get back to their regularly scheduled lives. "Usually we have bright sunshine on the days after the front passes so the iguanas can bask, warm up, and climb back into the trees."

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