Frozen Iguanas, Wow!
For about a week the entire East coast of the United States has been rattled by a what meteorologists are calling a bomb cyclone. This large winter storm is causing many shakeups throughout many states causing some weird occurrences. Florida is explicitly experiencing some of the coldest weather it has seen in years, and it is affecting its wildlife, especially iguanas.
Iguanas are cold blooded creatures which require a warm climate to live, which makes Florida a perfect place to live most of the time. This surge of severe weather is leaving the iguanas frozen, but it’s not as crazy as you may think. The frozen iguanas aren’t dead. Instead, they freeze themselves to stay alive. Iguanas have a natural ability to freeze themselves in temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Even though the reasoning for the frozen iguanas is easily explained, it is becoming a trendy topic throughout the media. One story from the today show talks about how the iguanas are falling from the trees. Iguanas usually live in trees, and now that they are frozen and losing feeling in their legs, they just end up falling out. It is said that “It’s so cold in Florida that palm trees are dropping more frozen iguanas than coconuts,” which sounds crazy to hear. Another story from NPR news is about one man who was driving down the road and began to notice the Iguanas on the side of the road. In Florida, some people eat Iguana meat, therefore, the man began to collect these frozen Iguanas and put them in the back of his car. The man was under the impression these iguanas were dead, and little did he know they were freezing themselves to survive the cold front. After merging on the highway, the frozen Iguanas began to thaw out and move around. Once the man noticed this, it was already too late to exit. He had several Iguana crawling around his car while driving down the freeway. The angry Iguanas began to attack the driver and near caused an accident. The Florida Wildlife Preservation Society later sent out a message telling people to “let nature run its course,” because messing with the Iguanas can potentially harm them. As the cold front moves out, the iguanas will thaw and go back to their regular lives.
Ian is a senior at Wheeler High School and is in his 3rd semester on The Catalyst. He is an athlete on the varsity lacrosse team. Unfortunately, he is...
