Iguanas Falling From Trees in Florida: Kamikaze Iguanas

by Amy Judd | January 8, 2010 at 11:19 am

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A strange phenomenon is happening to the Iguanas in Florida, they are literally falling from the trees without warning, they are kamikaze Iguanas.

The long stretch of cold weather in Florida is responsible for the Iguanas losing their grip on the trees as their blood slows down in colder weather. The temperatures are below five degrees at the moment, so the Iguanas go in to a comatose state and they turn an ashen color and look dead although they are not.

The Iguanas can die however if it remains cold for longer than three days at a time.

Ron Magill, of Miami Metrozoo, told Florida's Local 10 TV: "It's almost like they go totally to sleep. Generally speaking, if it warms up afterwards, they can recover."

The Iguanas are not native to Florida, but people have been releasing their unwanted pets in to the wild and they have bred with each other.

Some are suggesting that now would be a good time to cull the animals in Florida as they are having a hard time surviving anyway.

But Mr Magill warned: "I knew of a gentleman who was collecting them all in the street and throwing them in the back of his station wagon.

"All of a sudden as he’s driving along these things are coming along, crawling on his back and almost caused a wreck."