Record-breaking lows in South Florida facilitated the capture of over a thousand invasive green iguanas, WTVJ reported.
What’s happening?
On Jan. 30, residents in South Florida experienced record low temperatures not seen in “over a century,” according to the Sun Sentinel.
Typically, temperatures in Miami range from a high of 75F to a low of 59F in February, but locals woke up to a chilly, “historic” 35F day on Feb. 1.
While the weather was unusual for locals, it was catastrophic for Florida’s invasive green iguanas. Thousands of the creatures fell into a state known as “torpor,” often described as short-term, involuntary hibernation.
According to WTVJ, meteorologists warned that green iguanas would be left “cold-stunned and immobile,” but hearing about it and witnessing it are very different things.
Palm Beach County’s WPEC shared a gallery of bizarre scenes in the region, with “iguanas literally dropping out of trees” or seen motionless on sidewalks and lawns.
Before the cold snap, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recognized an opportunity to leverage icy conditions, issuing an executive order on Jan. 30 to allow residents to collect “live, cold-stunned green iguanas” without a permit.
Many locals acted when the restriction on possessing green iguanas was lifted, gathering the creatures and dropping them off at one of several designated collection sites.
“One resident said he had brought in between 50 and 100 iguanas, and another said he’d collected ‘over 100 pounds of iguanas’ within ’45 minutes to an hour,'” WTVJ reported.
Why is this important?
Florida’s frozen, falling green iguanas were the result of two converging environmental concerns in the Sunshine State: extreme weather, in the form of extreme cold, and invasive species.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency explained that sustained rising temperatures have given rise to unstable wintry atmospheric patterns, particularly dangerous “deeper, slow-moving low-pressure systems” strengthened by increased evaporation.
Extreme weather is increasing in frequency and severity worldwide, and as CISA noted, historic lows can create a “dangerous environment for people, animals, and critical infrastructure.”
On the other hand, the FWC classified green iguanas as a prohibited invasive species.
Invasive species are defined by their destabilizing impact on new ecosystems, rapid rates of reproduction, and adverse effects on native species, which are forced to compete with non-native wildlife for food and resources.
Green iguanas in Florida have taken a toll on endangered species by consuming parts of their habitat, and like other invasive pests, they can transmit pathogens such as Salmonella.
In essence, extreme weather enabled the FWC to remove over 1,000 invasive iguanas.
What’s being done about it?
The FWC provided detailed safety instructions for residents aiding iguana eradication efforts.
More broadly, WTVJ reported that another cold front was in the forecast, and counties such as Hillsborough issued guidance to help residents safely navigate more extreme cold.
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