Falling Florida iguanas sold on Facebook as street meat

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MIAMI, Fla. - There are few things that can be purchased for merely a dollar these days, but in Florida, it will get you a chunk of iguana meat. All you have to do is log on to Facebook.

Recently, residents in Florida have turned to the classifieds section of the social media platform to sell the meat after the reptiles fell from treetops in droves, stunned from the cold snap that swept through the southern portion of the state.

The low temperatures stun the invasive reptiles, but the iguanas won’t necessarily die. That means many will wake up as temperatures rise.

One of the now-deleted ads, posted days before the cold weather kicked in, advertised the garrobos -- a term sometimes used for iguana in parts of Latin America -- for $1. The ads were springing up online from Miami and Homestead.

As the temperatures dipped, the National Weather Service warned residents to brace themselves about the falling reptiles.

“This isn’t something we usually forecast, but don’t be surprised if you see Iguanas falling from the trees tonight as lows drop into the 30s and 40s. Brrrr!” NWS Miami tweeted Tuesday.

Social media users shared videos of the falling reptiles in Florida.

In 2018, a Fort Lauderdale resident told the Sun-Sentinel that the iguana is a staple in the Caribbean. Iguana meat contains more protein than chicken and some cultures even believe it to have medical properties, the resident told the outlet.

Iguanas aren’t dangerous or aggressive to humans, but they damage seawalls, sidewalks, landscape foliage and can dig lengthy tunnels. The males can grow to at least 5 feet long and weigh nearly 20 pounds.

Female iguanas can lay nearly 80 eggs a year, and South Florida’s warm climate is perfect for the prehistoric-looking animals. Iguanas are native to Central America, tropical parts of South America and some Caribbean islands.

Iguanas are allowed to be kept as pets in Florida but are not protected by any law except anti-cruelty to animals. They’ve been in South Florida since the 1960s, but their numbers have increased dramatically in recent years.

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