TAMPA, Fla. — As many Floridians prepare for the freezing temperatures this weekend, Florida Fish and Wildlife sent out a reminder to not be alarmed by falling iguanas.
Although the falling lizards may be startling, the FWC asks residents to not bring the wild green iguanas into their home or their car to warm up.
"They can recover more quickly than you think and become defensive, using their long tails and sharp teeth & claws," the agency wrote on its Facebook.
When it gets colder than 45 degrees, iguanas go into a sort of suspended animation mode and fall out of trees. The green guys who are considered an invasive species in Florida are still breathing with critical body functions still operating, but they look dead.
All iguanas are not created equally though. The bigger ones can be a little more tolerable of the cold weather Zoo Miami Communications Director Ron Magill told CBS Miami.
Iguanas can reach up to 5 feet in length and weigh up to 20 pounds. That's close to a medium-sized dog standing up. Imagine an iguana that large falling from a tree.
The cold-stunned state iguanas enter protects them until the temperature warms back up over 50 degrees again. The reptilian is at risk when temperatures remain in the 40s and lower for periods over eight hours.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.