Florida’s strongest cold front since 2010 triggered widespread sightings of invasive green iguanas in South Florida on Sunday and Monday, triggering a wave of collections.
Low temperatures and strong winds affected thousands of reptiles, freezing them and causing many to fall from their usual sheltering trees or be abandoned.
In Palm Beach County, five or six iguanas living in the trees in Maria Eugenia Pardo’s backyard disappeared when a cold front hit the area.
Thanks to nature’s unexpected help, Pardo told El Nuevo Herald she didn’t have to pick up a paralyzed iguana in her yard like so many others in South Florida.
Florida removes more than 5,000 invasive green iguanas after extreme cold
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reports that 5,195 invasive green iguanas were removed during the extreme cold event with the help of citizens, partners and agency staff.
Executive Order 26-03 temporarily allows people to remove live, cold-stunned green iguanas from their natural habitat without obtaining a permit.
The measure took effect Feb. 1-2, during a prolonged period of cold temperatures in South Florida, and authorized residents to transport the animals to FWC offices.
Of the 5,195 iguanas collected, 3,882 were transported to FWC headquarters in Sunrise; 1,075 in Tecosta; 215 to the Marathon Entry Center; and 23 to the Fort Myers office, according to official figures.
On Sunday, February 1, 2026, an iguana lay on the ground near Pembroke Pines as temperatures dropped into the 30s in South Florida.
The FWC announced on Friday that on Sunday and Monday, people can capture iguanas and bring them to these offices to be humanely euthanized or transferred to authorized pet keepers.
“Special regulations under EO 26-03 provide the public with a unique opportunity to remove cold-stunned green iguanas from their properties during the recent unusually cold weather and bring them to the FWC without requiring a permit,” FWC Executive Director Roger Young said Wednesday.
Young explained that as an invasive species, green iguanas negatively impact Florida’s environment and economy.
‘Iguana rain’ in South Florida: What happens when cold-induced lethargy occurs
When temperatures drop and remain near or below freezing, reptiles and amphibians (including non-native green iguanas) will enter a torpor state, temporarily lose muscle control and appear “frozen,” sometimes even falling from trees.
Florida experienced a “rain of iguanas” during the recent cold snap, with people collecting the reptiles in their yards, neighborhood lawns or lakeshores.
On Sunday, February 1, 2026, in Pembroke Pines, Florida, as temperatures dropped into the 30s and a cold front moved through South Florida, an iguana lay on the ground nearby.
While many of these reptiles were turned over to the FWC, some people said on social media that they took them home and “warmed them up” with a hair dryer or covered them with blankets to help them regain their body temperature – something the agency does not recommend.
“If you encounter a cold-stunned green iguana, never bring it home or into a building to keep it warm, and never put it in your vehicle unless specifically transported to FWC in accordance with EO 26-03. Iguanas recover from cold-stunning faster than you think, and once recovered, can act defensively, have whips, and have sharp teeth and claws,” the agency said.
Will cold weather kill pythons and iguanas? The real impact on invasive reptiles
Frank Mazzotti, a professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida/IFAS, said a day or two of freezing temperatures won’t have a big impact on pythons and iguanas, unlike what happened in 2010.
He told El Nuevo Herald that the occurrence of deaths depends on how much the temperature drops and how long the cold lasts.
He explained that in 2010, Florida had a number of cloudy days with severe freezes that kept temperatures below freezing.
“The combination of these factors led to the deaths in 2010, but I don’t see the same combination now,” he said in an interview.
Trapper Andrew Baron of Redline Iguana Removal unloads a cold-shocked dead green iguana from the back of a truck during a cold snap on February 2, 2026 in Hollywood, Florida.
(Joe Reddell/Getty Images)
Some iguanas recover—but cold can still be deadly
Mazzotti noted that torpor iguanas that were not collected were able to raise their body temperatures again on sunny days.
But in colder areas, they are more vulnerable. For example, deaths may have occurred on Florida’s east coast when temperatures dropped below 24°F.
Reneé Stoll, director of communications and marketing for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, said they have no count of how many Burmese pythons may have been frozen.
“I can tell you now that we have not found any of the 40 scout snakes that died from the cold, but we are still looking for all of them,” she told El Nuevo Herald.
Iguana removal companies in South Florida reported collecting paralyzed and dead iguanas on Sunday, in what appears to be a record number due to the cold snap.
Blake Wilkins, owner of Redline Iguana Removal in Hollywood, said about 50 percent of the iguanas that were removed were dead.
Miami Herald reporter Sofia Saric contributed to this report.
Do you have a cold-stunned iguana in your yard? FWC says, give them to us.
Biologist wearing Santa hat captures giant python with ‘spy snake’ in Florida