{"id":43563,"date":"2025-11-12T09:54:40","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T09:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/43563\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T09:54:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T09:54:40","slug":"falling-iguana-weather-has-arrived-in-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/43563\/","title":{"rendered":"Falling Iguana Weather Has Arrived In Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

Florida\u2019s Iguanas Will Be \u2018Fainting\u2019 Again<\/p>\n

You know it\u2019s actually cold in the South when you see reports of iguanas falling out of trees. You read that correctly: Falling iguana season has officially arrived in Florida, that short window of time each winter when temperatures dip low enough to turn the state\u2019s tree-dwelling reptiles into stiff, stunned statues.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of those \u201conly in Florida\u201d moments that never fails to baffle the rest of the country, so let’s explain.<\/p>\n

Iguanas are cold-blooded reptiles, which means they depend on external heat sources like sunshine and warm temperatures<\/a> to regulate their bodies. When the air dips below about 50 degrees, their metabolism slows dramatically. Their muscles stop working properly, and their grip on tree branches loosens. That results in a surprising (slightly comedic) plop to the ground.<\/p>\n

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(MORE: There\u2019s A Symphony Beneath The Ocean\u2019s Waves<\/a>)<\/p>\n

But don’t panic. They\u2019re not dead, just frozen in place. Think of it like their bodies hitting the pause button until the sun returns. Once temperatures rise again, they slowly \u201cdefrost,\u201d regain movement and wander off as if nothing happened. It\u2019s nature\u2019s very own reptilian reboot.<\/p>\n

While they may look helpless, it\u2019s important not to pick them up or take them to the vet. These iguanas can wake up fast, and being handled by a well-meaning human can stress or even injure them. The best thing to do is leave them where they are and let the sunshine do its job.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth remembering that these iguanas aren\u2019t native to Florida. The green iguana, along with a few related species, originally came from Central and South America, where they’re use to much warmer weather.<\/p>\n

(MORE: Tasmanian Devils Rescued From Storms<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Luckily, this latest cold snap will be short-lived. By midweek, temperatures are expected to climb again, the iguanas will be back in the trees and South Florida will return to its regularly scheduled sunshine.<\/p>\n

So if you see a few iguana popsicles on the ground as you go about your week, don\u2019t worry, they\u2019ll thaw out soon.<\/p>\n

Weather.com lead editor Jenn Jordan<\/a> explores how weather and climate weave through our daily lives, shape our routines and leave lasting impacts on our communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Florida\u2019s Iguanas Will Be \u2018Fainting\u2019 Again You know it\u2019s actually cold in the South when you see reports…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43564,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29,21617],"class_list":{"0":"post-43563","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-florida","8":"tag-florida","9":"tag-florida-headlines","10":"tag-florida-news","11":"tag-wild-animals"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}