There’s a downpour raging in Florida, but it’s not cats and dogs falling from the sky, or massive rain dropping from the clouds — it’s frozen iguanas tumbling down from trees. Seriously.
Turns out they don’t do so well in the cold weather. You might feel sorry for them, but don’t; they’re considered an invasive species and have done quite well at being fruitful and multiplying:
Thousands of frozen iguanas are raining down from trees in Florida again after the state faced another record breaking cold snap — and wildlife officials say its the perfect time to kill the invasive critters.
“There were iguanas that were pushing six to six-and-a-half feet long. They look like dragons, absolutely crazy,” said iguana hunter Ryan Izquierdo.
Not surprisingly, it brought out the best in "Florida Man":
FLORIDA MAN: A Florida man made a "blanket of frozen iguanas" as record cold dipped into the Sunshine State on Sunday.@MyFWC says more than 1,000 of the invasive reptiles were turned in on Sunday alone. #FLwx pic.twitter.com/1hUJ4mhohD
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) February 2, 2026
But why the heck is this happening? It’s because when the temperatures fall into the 30s, the cold-blooded beasts go into a state called “torpor,” where they lose muscle control and can appear dead. They’re basically "cold-stunned," but most of them are actually still alive.
State wildlife officials, however, are not sad about the situation; they see it as an excellent opportunity for a reptilian roundup. When I say there’s a lot of these green iguanas, which negatively impact the Sunshine State’s environment and economy, I mean a whole lot of them:
South Florida company collects over 1,000 frozen iguanas. https://t.co/NGxBiCb6Ns pic.twitter.com/80luA7dIGK
— WPEC CBS12 News (@CBS12) February 2, 2026
The raiding reptiles, which can plunge up to 40 feet and walk away unharmed, plague the Florida environment by chewing up plants and eroding canal banks and seawalls. Officials have urged residents to round up the fallen creatures and take them in to be… dispatched.
“South Florida has not experienced this level of cold weather in many years,” said Shannon Knowles, communications director for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “So we used this opportunity to remove this invasive non-native species from the landscape.”
“This is the first time we have organized a removal effort of invasive iguanas,” she said.
The collection centers are jammed with "iguana stackers":
Thank you Governor DeSantis for making iguana stacking a fun new frozen Floridian family tradition!! The FWC collection stations are swamped!! pic.twitter.com/xTdIbYGVx0
— Branch Floridian (@JackLinFLL) February 1, 2026
MASSIVE Frozen Iguana’s in Florida, falling out of trees like it’s raining. That are not dead, just in a sleep state because of the cold. pic.twitter.com/rajpOQ3a0s
— SweetMarie (@Oceanbreeze473) February 4, 2026
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There’s an added bonus to the green downpour, however: you can make tacos out of them. Who knew? Here’s how, if you’re so inclined:
My jaw dropped 😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/HdUETImvt6
— Ichigo Niggasake (@SomaKazima2) February 3, 2026
The brave chef above also uses any leftovers for crab trap bait, so nothing is wasted. Good to know.
I’ll pass, thanks. The word is they taste something like chicken, but as one of my colleagues said, “I have plenty of chicken available, so I don’t need to carve up a reptile for dinner.”
I’m with you on that one, buddy.
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