Petition: Demand Florida Protect Iguanas From Climate Change

The weather service in Florida is warning of a bizarre and alarming trend you may not have heard of: iguanas getting so cold that they become paralyzed and rain down from trees. Temperatures in the warm state of Florida have dropped so low that iguanas risk becoming immobilized. Iguanas are cold-blooded animals and rely on the sun and other natural heat sources from their environment to stay warm. They slow down when temperatures dip to between 4 and 9 degrees Celsius (roughly 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit), according to DW.

Climate scientists warn that, with increasingly unpredictable weather, we may see more unexpected cold snaps, which can temporarily immobilize the reptiles, causing them to painfully fall to the ground. Previous bouts of freezing temperatures have been correlated with large population declines. While the sight of iguanas falling from trees is alarming, it does not necessarily mean that they are dead.

Source: News4JAX/Youtube

The increase in unpredictable weather due to Climate change is a clear threat to iguanas’ future survival. While many understandably associate Climate change with warmth, a warming planet can cause erratic and dangerous weather in winter too. This is just one of the many ways we’ve seen winter storms — which Climate change tends to increase in frequency and severity — affect innocent animals. Sign this petition to put pressure on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to pass aggressive climate policy!

To continue speaking up, sign these other petitions as well:

• Petition: Free Kiska, The World’s Loneliest Orca!
• Petition: Protect Endangered Dolphins

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