Florida man uses iguanas as ‘blankets’ to tackle cold in bizarre viral video

A rare winter cold snap sweeping across Florida has left large numbers of green iguanas, a non-native cold-blooded species, temporarily immobilized and falling from trees as temperatures dropped into the 30s. Some unusual footage has drawn attention online. Influencer @stackz posted a video on Feb. 1 joking that he was trying to sleep under a pile of cold-stunned iguanas, creating what appeared to be a “blanket” of the reptiles. The iguanas were easy to capture because they were in a state of torpor, temporarily losing muscle control. In the video, @stackz said he did not kill the iguanas, adding, “We love everything with a heartbeat.”Iguanas become “cold-stunned” when air temperatures near or fall below freezing, causing them to lose muscle control and fall from branches in a motionless state.In South Florida, residents have been collecting these stunned reptiles and bringing them to facilities run by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The FWC issued a temporary order allowing the public to capture and transport cold-stunned green iguanas without a permit during the freeze, a change from normal rules that restrict possession and movement of the invasive species.

Boxes of iguanas have been delivered to wildlife officials, showing the scale of the event. Video from local news showed people gathering dozens of the paralyzed lizards and dropping them off at designated FWC locations across South and Central Florida.Officials cautioned against warming the iguanas inside homes or vehicles. While they appear lifeless, many can recover once temperatures rise, though they may act defensively when revived.