Leapin’ lizards, they’re cold blooded killers!
Thousands of frozen iguanas are raining down from trees in Florida again after the state faced another record breaking cold snap — and wildlife officials say its the perfect time to kill the invasive critters.
“There were iguanas that were pushing six to six-and-a-half feet long. They look like dragons, absolutely crazy,” said iguana hunter Ryan Izquierdo.
“It was a madhouse,” Izquierdo said of the center where the reptiles are being rounded up and “humanely killed,” according to the Washington Post.
Temperatures in South Florida are expected to plunge back into the 40s Friday— with “feels like” temperatures in the 30s— after shivering through extreme cold over the weekend.
The average low in Miami in February is usually 68 degrees.
As piles of Iguanas lay paralyzed in a “cold stunned” state, wildlife officials are urging average folks to capture the invasive creatures and take them to offices to be killed.
“South Florida has not experienced this level of cold weather in many years,” said Shannon Knowles, communications director for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “So we used this opportunity to remove this invasive non-native species from the landscape.”
“This is the first time we have organized a removal effort of invasive iguanas,” she said.
Iguanas’ nervous systems shut down when temperatures dip into the 40s and below, often causing them to fall from their palm frond perches.
The reptiles are rendered temporarily paralyzed but are often fine after they thaw out.
But irksome Iguanas have caused years of severe environmental and structural damage in South Florida — including by chowing down on plants and eroding canal banks and seawalls.
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The wildlife commission issued an executive order Friday allowing people without permits to gather up the frozen reptiles and take them to offices to be “humanely killed.”
In some cases, the reptiles will also be “transferred to permittees for live animal sales,” the press release states.
Dramatic images show hoards of the cold-stunned critters piled up on the frost-kissed ground in areas from Miami to Jupiter.
The second wave of frigid temperatures is expected to come after a warmer high of 58 on Thursday in much of South Florida.
Temperatures are expected to remain chilly through the weekend with lows in the upper 40s Saturday and Sunday, according to forecasters.
Cold records were shattered across the Sunshine State last Sunday, with cities such as Daytona Beach, Orlando, Melbourne, Vero Beach and Fort Pierce all hitting their coldest ever recorded in the month of February.
