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It's so cold in Florida, iguanas are falling out of trees

On Thursday morning, Frank Cerabino, a columnist for the Palm Beach Post, woke up to a 40-degree weather and was greeted by a "frozen iguana" lounging by his pool in Boca Raton, Florida.

He responded as many people probably would: he shared a photo on social media. Then he pondered, "What do you do?" he told The New York Times.

One of the strongest winter storms on the East Coast in modern history has pummeled cities with snow and sleet, forcing schools and businesses to close while grounding thousands of flights.

And in South Florida, it is "raining iguanas."

Green iguanas, like all reptiles, are coldblooded animals, so when the temperature falls to a certain level iguanas become immobile, said Kristen Sommers of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Under 50 degrees Fahrenheit, they become sluggish. Under 40 degrees, their blood stops moving as much, Sommers said.

They like to sit in trees, and "it's become cold enough that they fall out."

This is not a new phenomenon - there were similar reports in 2008 and 2010 - though it is not typical.

"The reality is South Florida doesn't get that cold very often or long enough that you see this frequently," Sommers said.

But what should one do with a fallen iguana?

Cerabino told The New York Times that he prodded the iguana with a pool skimmer.

"He didn't move," Cerabino said. "But he's probably still alive. My experience is that they take a while to die."

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