HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — A South Florida man was in for quite a surprise when he discovered a massive — and hissing, iguana in his toilet last Friday.
John Riddle, 58, of Hollywood, told news outlets that he realized the door connecting his pool deck to the bathroom was open. When he went inside the bathroom, he came face-to-face with an unfriendly visitor, CBS News reported.
"That's when it turned around and opened its mouth," he said. "And that's all I needed to see to, like, back off for a minute and figure out what was going on."
The reptile did eventually leave after staying in the toilet for about an hour and trying to escape through the pipes. It eventually climbed out and left through the backyard, CBS News said.
Riddle told the South Florida SunSentinel that he is used to seeing iguanas, but he is just not used to seeing them in his toilet bowl.
“I’ve been in this particular house for 21+ years, and like I said, it never happened before,” he told the newspaper. “I figure now that it’s happened to me, the odds are probably really good that it won’t happen hopefully for not at least another 21 years or so.”
Iguanas are an invasive species in Florida and take up residence largely in South Florida. Because they are considered an invasive species due to their impacts on native wildlife, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said green iguanas aren't protected in Florida — except by anti-cruelty law — and can be captured and "humanely" killed throughout the year without a permit or hunting license.
The number of iguanas in some parts of Florida is prompting some local leaders in South Florida to propose incentives to motivate people to help curb the problem.