Iguanas falling from trees in frigid Florida

If you are "suffering" through the sub-40-degree temperatures in Florida, consider yourself lucky you are not an iguana.

When it drops below 50, the cold-blooded creatures get sluggish, and if it gets any lower than that, they freeze up, according to experts.

With the unusually frigid conditions down south, they have been plummeting from trees.

"It's too cold for them to move," said Kristen Sommers of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Frank Cerabino, a columnist for the Palm Beach Post, tweeted a photograph of an iguana lying belly-up next to his swimming pool. TV station WPEC posted images of an iguana on its back on a road in Palm County.

Curious residents who find paralyzed iguanas should be careful, or they might get a nasty surprise in the form of a bite.

"Don't assume that they're dead," Sommers said.

See photos of iguanas are falling out of trees:

The wildlife commission is holding workshops to train homeowners and property managers to trap or manage the creatures.

"This provides an opportunity to capture some, but I'm not sure it's going to be cold enough for long enough to make enough of a difference," Sommers said. "In most cases, they're going to warm back up and move around again, unless they're euthanized."

Native to Central and South America, iguanas are known for eating through landscaping and digging holes that undermine infrastructure. They can grow over 5 feet long.

Temperatures were below 40 degrees early Thursday in parts of South Florida, according to the National Weather Service.

With News Wire Services