Hello everyone, and Happy Falling Iguana Season. This month's VERY cold-blooded creature is the once again the green iguana. If you were watching the local news in the middle of November, you heard a lot about them. WINK News weather even has a falling iguana forecast they use when the cold weather from up north hits us.
Green iguanas are vegetarian lizards that can grow up to 6 feet long and are native to Central and South America. Everybody knows that they've become really common here in Florida, too. Iguanas are often seen basking in the sun near the water or hanging out in the trees, where they feel safe and can find food. Like all reptiles, they rely on the sun and the temperature of their surroundings to stay warm and active.
Because iguanas are cold-blooded, they are very sensitive to fast temperature changes. When a cold front hits, like the one we had a couple weeks ago, their bodies and nervous systems cool down quickly. If the temperature drops into the 50's, they become sluggish, weak, and uncoordinated. In extreme cases, like when the temperature falls into the 40's, iguanas can go into a kind of hibernation-like state called brumation. During brumation, iguanas slow down so much that they may have trouble moving at all. If the temperatures go lower than that they'll actually die.
After a big cold front, green iguanas still up in trees become so stiff and weak that they can't hold onto the branches, especially in the wind. It might seem like the they're suddenly dropping from the sky, but it’s just because they can't stay alert and hold on tight enough.
Falling from a tree doesn’t usually hurt the iguanas. Even though it looks scary, they mostly land uninjured because they are so light and usually fall into the grass. The baby green iguana I'm holding in the photo was laying in our pool cage last year after it got down to 45°F the night before.
After hitting the ground, they are usually very still for a while. Once the weather warms up or the sun hits them, the iguanas will start to wake up and regain their strength. It may take them some time to get back to their usual behavior, but as the temperature rises, they will recover.
So if you see an iguana on the ground in Florida in the winter, it's probably not dead. They will warm up very quickly if you take one inside your house, so don't do that! Iguanas are harmless to people, but you don't want one all freaked out and running around knocking stuff over. Falling iguana weather doesn't happen very often so be sure to tell your friends up north if you get to see it happen in person.
Thanks again for reading, Merry Christmas, and see you next month with another cold-blooded creature.
Sophie Mckee
Oasis High School, Cape Coral
