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After an arctic blast chilled the entire state of Florida this week, weather experts and news stations are now warning about potential danger from the winter weather: falling iguanas.
"We've entered FALLING IGUANA territory as temps. are in the widespread 40s across Broward & Miami-Dade," WSVN weather anchor Vivian Gonzalez tweeted Monday (January 24). "They slow down or become immobile when temps. drop & could fall from trees, but they are not dead. Don't approach. Once the sun is out, they will move."
Since iguanas are cold-blooded reptiles, freezing temperatures can cause their bodies to become rigid. As a result, they can't cling to tree branches and may fall out of trees.
As Gonzalez pointed out, these reptiles are still alive and can attack you once they recover quickly. It's not just the iguanas' behavior people should be aware of -- it's the weight of their bodies. Animal experts say adult males can weigh up to 20 pounds, meaning if they hit you on the way down, it could definitely hurt.
Naturally, people had jokes ready to fire when it came to these warnings.
"Florida has two seasons: hurricane and falling iguana," Adam Lichtenstein, a reporter for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, tweeted.
Keep a lookout for these invasive reptiles!