Heads up! It's raining iguanas in Florida (again)

Believe it or not, this is a survival mechanism.

Florida is looking a lot like Canada these days after a "once in a lifetime" winter storm blanketed the state in historic snowfall accumulations.

This, plus the cold weather, spells bad news for local iguanas, some of which have fallen to the ground in protest.

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There are several reports of cold-stunned, temporarily paralyzed iguanas raining down from the trees in Florida this week, sometimes colliding with, and injuring, bewildered pedestrians.

It can cause a commotion, and it certainly looks dramatic. But more often than not, the iguanas will just be fine.

It's evolution, baby

This isn't a new phenomenon. For years, our diligent reporters have been keeping an eye on Florida's lizards, including yours truly, who is proud to be on the iguana beat.

Iguanas are cold-blooded creatures that fare best in warm conditions, and an unseasonable chill can cause some of them to freeze up and fall from trees.

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Once again: Most of the time, the lizards are fine once temperatures return to normal. This short-term paralysis is just one of the ways they have evolved to ride out cold weather.

In fact, a 2020 study found that Florida lizards are developing even more tolerance to the cold, now that wintery storms are becoming increasingly common in the sunshine state.

Other, more long-term cold avoidance tactics iguanas utilize include burrowing underground or finding a safe spot to remain still and dropping their body temperature.

If you ever happen upon a cold-stunned iguana, experts say it's best to leave it alone or contact a local animal rescue for guidance. At any rate, you may be doing the iguana more harm than good if you try to make direct contact with it.

For Canadian snowbirds (and Florida iguanas) wondering when it will warm up, that's expected over the next few days. Saturday is expected to be one of the coldest days in this spell, with temperatures gradually warming up to above-seasonal levels over the next seven days.

Header image: File photos sourced from Canva Pro. Made by Cheryl Santa Maria.