{"id":466155,"date":"2026-02-10T16:25:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T16:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/466155\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T16:25:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T16:25:08","slug":"florida-man-makes-tacos-from-frozen-iguana-that-fell-from-trees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/466155\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida man makes tacos from frozen iguana that fell from trees"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Florida man is giving social media something to taco \u2019bout.<\/p>\n

TikTok creator Gray Davis has gone viral with a series of videos documenting the \u201craining iguanas\u201d<\/a> phenomenon in Florida \u2014 and then eating them.<\/p>\n

When the Sunshine State experiences unusually cold weather, the cold-blooded reptiles can wind down their systems to conserve energy, and almost literally freeze up in the process. As they stiffen, the iguana popsciles will topple from their perch onto the ground.<\/p>\n

\"AGray Davis made tacos out of a frozen iguana that fell from a tree in Florida. TikTok \/ @gray.davis<\/p>\n

While they may look dead, the iguanas are technically alive and will literally thaw back to normal once the weather warms.<\/p>\n

Despite the good news \u2014 they\u2019re ok! \u2014 green iguanas are also considered an invasive species in South Florida, and thanks to the unseasonably cold weather, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)<\/a> has temporarily allowed residents to remove and dispose of cold-stunned iguanas without a permit.<\/p>\n

Year-round, the species can be captured and humanely killed without a permit or hunting license on 32 public lands in South Florida.<\/p>\n

But rather than disposing of the animal, Davis has taken a different approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever we have these cold fronts and they start falling down, a lot of people will go out and collect them to help control the number in the population,\u201d he said in the video<\/a> with 3.5 million views.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they do have the nickname \u2018chicken of the trees\u2019 because they\u2019re absolutely delicious. So rather than let this one go to waste, we\u2019re going to make tacos.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davis showed off the iguana he chose to use to make tacos, but he chose not to show the process of humanely dispatching and cleaning the iguana for its meat.<\/p>\n

He shared that he found 20 eggs inside the iguana, \u201cso by removing this one iguana, we actually saved the environment from over 20 iguanas come spring.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"IguanaGray Davis also used the 20 eggs he found in the iguana and preserved the skin. TikTok \/ @gray.davis<\/p>\n

In addition to making the tacos, he also attempted to preserve the skin in an effort to reduce waste.<\/p>\n

He started the process of making the tacos, simmering the iguana meat in a pot with onion, garlic, a bay leaf and some salt.<\/p>\n

He then soft boiled the iguana eggs to blend with avocado, garlic cloves, olive oil, salt and lime juice to make a sauce.<\/p>\n

Putting the cooked meat into a frying pan with his favorite seasonings, Davis let the meat get crispy before adding it to the taco shell.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that right there is a Florida man taco,\u201d he quipped. \u201cIf you can\u2019t beat \u2019em, eat \u2019em.\u201d<\/p>\n

Viewers on TikTok were stunned themselves at Davis\u2019 unorthodox taco recipe<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, you lost me at blending 20 iguana eggs in a blender to dip their mother\u2019s body into,\u201d wrote one agahst viewer. <\/p>\n

\u201c21 souls in one meal is crazy,\u201d lamented another.<\/p>\n

Davis was praised for his eco-conscious content, as one noted, \u201cThis is literally just living sustainably, and he\u2019s protecting the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davis made a video<\/a> explaining ethical eating, and noted, \u201cI totally get if you just won\u2019t eat an iguana taco, everybody has their limits, that\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than let the one that I found go to waste, I decided to make tacos,\u201d he shared. \u201cAnd I would argue that it\u2019s the most ethical taco you could possibly have.\u201d<\/p>\n

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