Man collects frozen iguanas falling from trees after Florida cold blast

By Barney Riley via SWNS

An animal-lover filmed himself collecting iguanas which froze and fell out of palm trees due to Storm Elliott blasting Florida.

The reptiles have been left unable to move and falling out of palm trees during the killer cold snap, which has claimed nearly 60 lives across eight U.S. states.

Snakes have also been impacted by the unusually cold weather.

Brendan Denuyl, 29, filmed himself collecting an array of iguanas in his arms in Pembroke Pines, South Florida, as they suffer from the cold.

Iguanas are naturally cold-blooded and rely on heat from the sun and their surroundings, and when temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, they seize up and become immobile.

Brendan, who works as a gray taxidermist, said: "I was out fishing on Christmas night, which happened to be the coldest night of the year.

"Iguanas literally started dropping out of the trees.

"I dropped my fishing rod and started gathering them as others were still falling to my left and right.

"Once I had a good handful and a few more on the ground next to me, I made a video showing people how these iguanas in south Florida react when temperatures dropped.

"Showing a live example of how lethargic and almost paralyzed they become.

"There are also snakes freezing in the middle of the road.

"Most snakes and lizards down here will find a near road to bask on throughout the year.

"However, when temperatures dropped to 40 degrees, they freeze up on those roads and can’t escape or even move.

"As for me, I can’t stand when our state is cold.

"We live in a state where there is one season all year, summer.

"So when we have just one week that it gets super cold, we all get sick, lips get chapped, and nobody wants to leave the house.

"I still did because I’m an outdoorsman, but it definitely affects all life in south Florida."

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation issued a statement explaining that the creatures only go into a temporary state of paralysis.

They also discouraged people from letting them into their homes during the cold weather as they would soon be reanimated.