As temperatures dipped across South Florida this week, invasive green iguanas were left cold-stunned, immobilized and falling from trees, prompting widespread captures by residents and wildlife officials.
Videos of iguanas dropping from branches flooded social media as the cold front moved through the region, but experts stressed the animals were not dead — only temporarily incapacitated by the cold.
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“Iguanas are cold-blooded animals, so they lose muscle control without warm weather and go into a dormant state,” said Pierce Kannamer, founder of Iggy Trap, an organization that specializes in capturing invasive species.
According to NBC Miami, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) collected more than 1,000 iguanas in a single day during the cold snap, as residents across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties brought in the stunned reptiles.
Residents reported dramatic hauls. One person said he brought in between 50 and 100 iguanas, while another claimed to have collected “over 100 pounds of iguanas” in less than an hour. Other videos shared by Only in Dade showed people carrying iguanas by hand, while some attempted to warm them inside vehicles using towels or blow dryers — actions officials say violate state regulations.
Over the weekend, FWC issued an executive order temporarily allowing the public to capture cold-stunned green iguanas without a special license. The agency said the animals would be humanely euthanized or transferred to permitted individuals for live pet sales.
Green iguanas are considered an invasive species in Florida and pose serious environmental and economic threats. Kannamer estimates there are tens of millions statewide.
“They are pushing burrowing owls out of their burrows, which are an endangered species here in Florida,” Kannamer said. “During this cold snap, many of them dove into gopher tortoise burrows, which are a keystone species with high conservation priority.”
The damage extends beyond wildlife. Iguanas are aggressive burrowers capable of digging tunnels up to 50 feet underground, leading to infrastructure failures such as collapsed sidewalks and damage to buildings, Kannamer said. The reptiles also reproduce rapidly, laying between 25 and 75 eggs per clutch, with many surviving to adulthood.
Iggy Trap alone has captured more than 1,500 iguanas since Sunday, according to Kannamer. Still, experts caution that brief cold events are unlikely to significantly reduce Florida’s iguana population.
FWC officials warned the public not to bring stunned iguanas into homes or attempt to rehabilitate them. Reptiles can regain mobility quickly as temperatures rise, creating safety risks.
When temperatures approach freezing, reptiles and amphibians may enter a state of torpor, temporarily losing muscular control and, in some cases, falling from trees. FWC advises anyone capturing iguanas to wear protective clothing, place the animals in sealed, breathable cloth bags, and transport them directly to designated drop-off sites.
The agency accepted cold-stunned iguanas on Sunday and Monday at several locations statewide, including facilities in Marathon, Sunrise, Tequesta, Fort Myers and Lakeland. Officials said statewide removal numbers will be released in the coming days.
Meteorologists had warned residents that falling iguanas would be a likely sight as the cold front arrived — and across South Florida this week, that prediction proved accurate.
