by Lucy Armstrong
The sky is raining Iguanas!
The freezing cold weather is affecting every state in North America, and some more than others. Florida’s naturally hot climate does not see weather below 70 degrees very often, let alone 60 or 50 degrees. But what occurs when this takes place? The environment is not used to this dramatic shift, so many changes occur. Plants get frosty and die, farmers take extra precautions to keep their crop from dying, and iguanas freeze.
The occurrence of iguanas freezing is due to their biology. Iguanas are from the reptilian family making them cold blooded unlike our warm blooded selves. This means they cannot regulate their own body temperature like we can. So, how do they not die from Florida’s climate changes? They move within the environment to warmer or cooler areas to accommodate for the lack of, or overbearing heat.
This year, with the temperature dropping below the fifties, many Iguanas and reptiles are freezing…literally These animals become so cold their bodies can not accommodate to the chilling temperatures, because they rely on their surroundings. They have no way to internally regulate themselves except with the help of the sun, which is away for half of the day.
How does this affect Floridians? Iguanas are dropping like flies from trees, and unable to move, they can be easily run over, eaten, or mistaken for dead. To help save these poor animals the National Park Service has been taking the iguanas, and any other frozen animals, in to help warm them up and get back to their normal state. So if your driving by and you see an iguana on the side of the road, don’t just drive by; make sure to see if it’s frozen or not and if it needs assistance. They are helpless as Iguancicles!
Credit given to Drawception