An unusual “rain of iguanas” was reported in Florida, United States, following the low temperatures of recent days. Due to the cold, the iguanas are immobilized and fall from the trees in a frozen state, but they are not dead.
The United States Meteorological Agency (US Weather Service) warned regarding the causes behind the “rain of iguanas”, and explained that these animals usually settle in trees and fall asleep in temperatures below zero, such as those currently being recorded in Florida, and that because of this they might freeze, although this doesn’t mean they’re necessarily dead, as reported by the media T13.
“Iguanas are cold blooded. They slow down or become immobile when temperatures drop to around 4 or 5 degrees Celsius. They may fall out of trees, but they are not dead,” the Weather Service said on its official Twitter account.
The iguanas that live in the state of Florida, are not a native species of the place, but they came from areas of Latin America very close to the equator, so they are not used to such low temperatures, explained the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Niagara Falls froze due to low temperatures
Why do iguanas “freeze”?
As explained by zoologist Stacey Cohen, who is an expert in reptiles and works at the Palm Beach Zoo in Florida, who was in dialogue with the television network WPBF, the bodies of the iguanas begin to turn off when they are exposed to the cold for a long time.
For this, their functions are affected by cold, which ends up causing them to lose all ability to support themselves when they are in the branches of trees sleeping.
“The cold is a very threatening thing for them because they are from parts of Central and South America, near the equator, where it always stays very hot,” the zoologist clarified.
What to do with “frozen iguanas”
According to the article of Univision, the main thing is that people can move them from dangerous places to the grass or near a tree, where they can normalize their situation in complete safety. To move them, however, you have to make sure how immobilized these reptiles are, because if they have the ability to move, they may be able to bite to defend themselves.
MM/FL
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