They say money doesn't grow on trees. But sometimes, as a recent cold snap in Florida demonstrated, a free meal falls from one.
As temperatures in the Sunshine State have dipped into the 30s, iguanas have temporarily frozen up, causing them to fall from the trees that they use for shelter, Local 10 News in South Florida reported.
One local iguana expert has recommended using the animals as a food source.
"So a lot of different cultures eat iguanas and they eat the eggs and they eat the legs and the tail," said Jessica Kilgore, according to BroBible. "So these are easy snacks falling out the tree this morning."
What's happening?
As cold weather sweeps across much of the U.S., Florida has been no exception. With temperatures dropping, cold-blooded creatures like iguanas often become frozen and comatose. In the case of iguanas, this means they literally fall from the trees in which they are perched.
This provides a prime opportunity to help get rid of a large number of iguanas.
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According to the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, humans introduced iguanas to the state around the 1960s. While they thrive and help ecosystems in Mexico and farther south, their presence can cause ecosystem imbalance in the U.S.
Kilgore, of the organization Iguana Solutions, said she has collected hundreds of pounds worth of iguanas. Locals have been urged to take comatose or sluggish iguanas to designated drop-off points, where they will be humanely euthanized, per Local 10 News.
"Iguanas are an invasive species in Florida just like the pythons and the parrots and other animals that damage our native environment," Kilgore explained, according to BroBible.
Many of the euthanized iguanas have been shipped out to be used as food, as well, per BroBible.
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$200 or more 💰 Why do invasive species matter?
Animals like iguanas can disrupt local ecosystems and economies by displacing other wildlife. This can have a negative impact on agriculture as well as industries such as fishing and tourism.
"Invasive species can harm both the natural resources in an ecosystem as well as threaten human use of these resources," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration explained on its website.
What's being done about invasive species?
Unfortunately, there is no universal, easy solution to create better wildlife management. However, every little bit can help.
South Floridians have been taking advantage of the cold snap to use iguanas as a source of food that many hadn't considered before.
Halfway across the country, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks has been holding cookoffs in part to highlight different methods for cooking and eating invasive species.
A similar event in Oregon has even used the word "invasivore" to describe the practice of helping to control the populations of invasive species by chowing down on them.
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