Cold Snap Leaves Frozen Iguanas Falling in Florida (Full Transcript)
[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Over six dozen iguanas, frozen solid. As a cold snap moved across South Florida, temperatures dipped into the mid-30s, and these cold-blooded iguanas fell from the trees.
[00:00:11] Speaker 2: Right now, they are so cold. My hand is frozen right now holding him, and so they're like little bags of ice, and they are so heavy. Today, this is probably the biggest boy we've gotten. He probably weighs around 10 pounds, and it's probably around 5 1⁄2 feet long.
[00:00:25] Speaker 1: According to Jessica from the local Iguana Solutions, iguanas are an invasive species, so must be disposed of to protect the environment. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also opened iguana drop-off points so that frozen iguanas can be put down humanely or moved out of South Florida.
- Cold temperatures in the mid-30s can immobilize iguanas, causing them to fall from trees.
- Collected iguanas may appear frozen and heavy but can potentially revive as temperatures rise.
- Iguanas are considered an invasive species in Florida and are to be removed/disposed of to protect ecosystems.
- Florida wildlife authorities set up drop-off locations for humane handling, including euthanasia or relocation out of South Florida.