MIAMI — A scaly creature that feels right at home in the Florida heat simply can’t stand a little cold snap.
Iguanas get stunned when temperatures plunge below 40, and they fall from trees all over the state.
For some people, it’s an amusing display of survival. For others, it’s a delicious sight.
Yes, Floridians have a taste for iguana meat. Well, some of us do.
The Sun-Sentinel reported in 2018 that “chicken of the trees” – or “pollo de los árboles,” in Spanish -- is actually a staple food across the Caribbean because it contains more protein than chicken. Some cultures even believe it possesses medicinal properties.
So, on a cold Wednesday morning, some people were found selling iguana meat on Facebook Marketplace.
“You know it’s cold when Facebook Marketplace got garrobo meat for sale #BecauseMiami #ChickenOfTheTrees,” Cocaine Cowboys director Billy Corben wrote on Twitter.
A professor of wildlife ecology at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center in Davie, Fla. told the Miami Herald iguanas are completely safe to eat, if they come from a reputable source.
“They are excellent to taste, and they are a great source of food,” Frank Mazzotti said.
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