Iguanas fall from trees amid South Florida cold snap; FWC accepting frozen reptiles for handling

Cold-stunned iguanas are a common sight every time cold air grips South Florida. On this frigid weekend, the reptiles rained down from trees.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has given he public the chance to scoop up the iguanas and bring them to an FWC office where they’ll take care of them.

Due to their cold-blooded nature, the invasive reptiles are unable to handle temperatures drops below 50 degrees, sending them into a temporary paralysis known as cold stunning.

Some folks have collected the creatures and brought them to the FWC.

“Oh, at least between 50 and 100 [iguanas] easy, easy,” said Todd Hanna.

For Todd and his son, Daniel Hanna, catching frozen iguanas is a family affair.

“I love catching, I catch baby iguanas,” said Daniel.

David Smith and his wife have processed and eaten the “chickens of the trees” in the past, but not this weekend.

“We’re here today because we dropped off just over 100 pounds of iguanas that we picked up [Sunday] morning in Pompano Beach. I’ve never picked up so many in such a short time; it took us about 45 minutes to an hour to get 100 pounds,” said Smith. “The bigger ones eventually would revive after getting heated, but it would take a long time, and FWC knows how to handle them.”

FWC allows people to collect and drop off the invasive iguanas through Monday at one of their drop-off sites. Their South Florida offices are located in Marathon and Sunrise.