Miami 14th January 2021
During winter and Christmas in Florida, Santa Claus is not the only one dropping things from up above.
Trees are also dropping iguanas all around, and so for Floridians, it wouldn’t be a surprise if an iguana falls from the Christmas tree.
For instance, in December 2020, The National Weather Service (NWS) in Miami has warned about “falling iguanas” at Christmas.
However, such forecasts in South Florida in winter are not unusual.
In January 2018, some incidents concerning this matter were reported.
For example, an article of The Washington Post, posted on January 5th of that year, stated that a columnist for The Palm Beach Post had endured an unpleasant encounter with these frozen beings.
The unlucky writer, Frank Cerabino, started his Thursday morning with 40-degree weather and a “frozen iguana” loafing by his pool in Boca Raton, Florida.
In January 2020, there were also numerous warnings about “falling iguanas”.
In fact, the creature’s natural tendency to inhabit trees merged with the cold weather’s effect on them creates a hilarious scenery of iguanas showering the earth.
On this matter, Chris Michaels, a meteorologist with WSLS-TV in Roanoke, Virginia, emphasized that this is a reoccurring incident that has happened over the years in South Florida.
He said that iguanas can become lethargic, slow, and sluggish.
The reason behind this is due to their physiology; iguanas can’t handle the cold.
It seems that the harsh weather leads them to go dormant.
And although they keep breathing, their bodies operate on critical functions.
So, they appear dead but they’re not.
On this aspect, Ron Magill, a communication director for zoo Miami, said in an article by CNN writer Lauren M.Johnson, posted on December 23, 2020:
“The temperatures threshold for when iguanas begin to go into a dormant state depends greatly on the size of the iguana.”
He added: “Generally speaking, the larger the iguana, the more cold it can tolerate for longer periods.”
Therefore, if temperature degrees remain in the 40s for an extended period such as 8 hours, these statute-like reptiles become more susceptible to death, especially the younger and smaller ones.
Magill also gave an insight into how these creatures survived living the sudden instances of cold in South Florida.
It seems that they have adapted to digging holes in the ground to help them stay shielded from the cold.
Besides, they tend to live near beaches because it can be warmer than air temperatures.
These creatures had to develop these survival strategies because since they are not naturally accustomed to living in places that sometimes get cold.
They are originally native to South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
And according to WFLA-TV, they have arrived in South Florida through the pet trade.
Also, there is no such thing as a small iguana.
They are not beginner lizards, males will grow to 4-6 feet as adults and weigh up to 20 pounds.
Moreover, they tend to undermine infrastructure by digging burrows in sidewalks or foundations.
Hence, when they are not dying frozen shapes of animals, they are nuisances and tend to leave their droppings on decks and inside swimming pools.
However, there is an important thing that needs disclosure when faced with such a collision.
NWS alerted the residents that they should leave these fallen creatures alone.
The weather service stated that if these creatures feel threatened, they will bite once they warm up.
On the other hand, Floridians are relatively unbothered.
It seems that they have grown accustomed to iguanas’ cranky nature and careless attitude.
It seems after a while, the phenomenon becomes another recurrence during the Christmas holiday.
