How Long Before Rain Starts Up Again
If you lot're looking to have a myth debunked, you've come to the incorrect place. "Frozen Iguanas Falling From Florida Trees" is neither the name of a schlocky B-rated horror motion picture nor an urban legend. It's something that actually happens, which, if you lot're a Floridian yourself, you might be somewhat familiar with. Merely the rest of us may just be getting used to the fact that information technology rains more than cats and dogs in The Sunshine State. In add-on to hurricanes and alligators, there'southward another form of reptilian precipitation to scout out for.
But just why does this phenomenon happen? The short answer is that iguanas but don't belong in Florida; they're non native to the state, and those living in that location aren't used to the extremes of Florida weather withal. Just there's a longer answer, and it'due south a fascinating tale of invasive species, animal physiology and one of the strangest conditions reports you'll e'er see.
Iguanas Are Cold-Blooded, Which Induces Lethargy
When a creature is common cold-blooded, its body temperature changes along with shifts in the ambient temperature that occur in the air around the animal. This lies in dissimilarity to warm-blooded animals, which are able to maintain internal body temperatures higher than those of their surroundings due to their differing metabolic processes. Snakes, crocodiles, alligators, turtles and lizards, all of which are reptiles, are more often than not common cold-blooded. When temperatures effectually them drop, so does their internal temperature. This process besides happens to iguanas — even the iguanas that phone call Florida home.
As the temperature in the air — and, thus, the iguanas' claret — drops, they get increasingly inactive. When external temps reach about 45 degrees Fahrenheit, iguanas exposed to these weather enter a stunned or dormant state. They'll gradually become so sluggish and and then immobilized that they may look expressionless — but aren't. These lethargic lizards are actually even so breathing, and all their actual functions are continuing. But those functions are taking place much more slowly because the iguanas' blood is moving around their bodies at a profoundly reduced rate.
That said, if information technology stays in the 40s longer than eight hours, those persistent common cold temperatures can become fatal to iguanas. Just simply how cold does it have to be to trigger lethargic responses? That depends. Ron Magill, Zoo Miami's communications managing director, told CNN, "The temperature threshold for when iguanas begin to go into a dormant country depends greatly on the size of the iguana… Generally speaking, the larger the iguana, the more cold information technology can tolerate for longer periods." That may have to practice with the fact that the larger lizards have more than blood in their bodies so they can retain warmth in their blood a bit longer than the smaller reptiles.
The Lizards Are Diurnal — and They Have Unconventional Sleeping Spots
There may not be many things that people and iguanas have in common, but the period of time when they're awake each day is one. Diurnal animals similar iguanas are agile during daylight hours and inactive at night when they sleep or balance. Because iguanas are already slow or sleeping at night when temperatures are most probable to accomplish their lowest points, that's when iguanas are most vulnerable to the lethargy-inducing effects of a common cold snap. The nighttime temperatures and the cold ambience temperatures chemical compound.
There'due south i more than thing nigh iguanas' diurnal nature to know about, though. It'south where they tend to sleep that matters — and that leads to "iguana rain." Iguanas typically wander the footing or stay slightly secluded in brushy areas during the mean solar day. But they then sleep up in the relative safety of tree branches.
A typical slumbering iguana is perfectly capable of remaining safe and secure in a tree until morning time. Nevertheless, when iguanas are rendered lethargic or asleep past cold temperatures, their immobility causes them to lose their grip on the branches. Iguanas that succumb to the coldest overnight temperatures in Florida but fall out of bed — and onto the ground to be plant by startled Floridians when the sun rises.
They're Invasive and Aren't Suited for Florida's Climate
One might think that iguanas would've evolved to bargain with Florida's temperatures without going through this consequence — they're native to rainforests, subsequently all. But even if that were ordinarily the case, there are a few factors working against iguanas in this regard.
Starting time, temperatures low plenty to trigger this upshot are pretty uncommon in Florida, so the lizards aren't exposed to these dips often enough to develop whatsoever kind of evolutionary response. Low lows happen occasionally — it'southward oftentimes January when they practice occur — but Florida temperatures in the 40s are by far the exception rather than the rule.
While Florida does have a small number of native iguana species, the vast majority of these lizards in Florida — including the most common light-green iguana, a species that's helpfully named Iguana iguana — aren't native to Florida at all. They're actually invasive, so they oasis't adapted to the state's (very) occasional chilly conditions.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, there are over 40 not-native iguanas and relatives calling The Sunshine Land home. These transplants were introduced to Florida every bit a result of the pet trade. In 1995 alone, over 800,000 light-green iguanas were imported into the United States from their native homelands — much warmer countries similar Honduras, El salvador, Panama and Colombia. Over fourth dimension, and so many iguanas escaped or were released by pet owners into the wild that they established a presence throughout the state.
No, That Iguana Is (Probably) Non Dead
In most cases, an iguana that y'all might observe lying on the ground under a tree offset thing in the forenoon isn't expressionless and won't dice from the common cold snap. Rather, it's only immobilized or comatose due to the cold. As the temperatures increase around the iguana and it's exposed to sunshine, the iguana'south claret temperature volition increase, as well.
Gradually, the iguana volition become more energetic and scamper away. As the Miami Zoo'due south communications director mentioned, though, very cold temperatures tin can kill small iguanas, but many simply milkshake off the cold (and whatsoever falls from trees) with the arrival of warmer temperatures and sunshine.
With this in mind, it probably won't be so startling adjacent fourth dimension you hear about weather forecasts — aye, the Miami National Weather Service has issued them before — for raining iguanas in Florida. In improver to having the benefit of this general introduction to the reptile-related implications of cold snaps, though, y'all can sometimes count on Florida weather forecasters to give you all the information you need even if some of it is definitely not information you want. (Check out this story about a Florida weather forecast that went manner beyond the probability of precipitation, humidity and expected high and depression temps.)
And then, if you ever should hear the telltale slap of an iguana hitting the ground in the cool temperatures of a January Florida night, don't be alarmed. Iguana rain is normal. Weird, but normal.
Source: https://www.reference.com/science/why-rain-iguanas-florida?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740005%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex
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