- Writing
- BBC News World
December 26, 2022
image source, Getty Images
Those who traveled to Miami to escape the winter storm that particularly virulently affects Canada and the northern United States found that the arctic cold wave even reached that part of the southeastern country.
The minimum temperature on Christmas Day in Miami was 6 ºC and the maximum was 8 ºC.
“It was cold yesterday…and it turns out we broke some records!”said a message posted on his Twitter account Monday by the National Weather Service in South Florida.
“It was the coldest Christmas on record in terms of maximum temperatures at our weather stations.”
Weather Warning: Rain of Iguanas
But this cold snap in South Florida isn’t just affecting humans. Other animals, especially those that are cold-blooded like iguanas, also suffer its consequences.
And it is that the low temperatures immobilize them, leaving them in a kind of catatonic state or temporal paralysis.
Thus, when they are sleeping in the trees, they lose their grip and fall to the ground.
Paralyzed, but still alive.
image source, Miami National Weather Service
When it’s cold, it’s not uncommon for the National Weather Service in Miami to issue warnings for falling iguanas or “falling iguanas” to alert the population about this phenomenon.
Sea turtles, snakes, and other reptiles also experience cold stunning during frost.
In the case of iguanas, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission also issued a warning on his Twitter account.
“With cooler temperatures this holiday weekend, you may see non-native green iguanas in a state of torpor, temporarily losing all muscle control. You might even see them fall from trees,” the public body wrote.
“Do what you do, ¡no take wild green iguanas to your house or car to warm uplas! They can recover faster than you think and go on the defensive, using their long tails and sharp teeth and claws.”
Hibernation
Most South Florida iguanas come from countries with warmer climates in Central and South America, where they don’t face such low temperatures.
These cold-blooded green iguanas rely on external heat to regulate their body temperatures.
image source, Getty Images
When it is less than 10 ºC, some enter a state of hibernation that leaves them torpid.
To survive in a colder climate, iguanas slow down the rhythm of sus bodily processesincluding blood flow and heartbeat to a minimal point.
Even change of colorfrom a bright green to a more greyish shade, and sink the eyes.
When temperatures rise, they return to their normal physical state.
image source, Getty Images
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