Shades of Sharknado by David Middleton
Jan 21 – 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! #flwx #miami pic.twitter.com/rsbzNMgO01
— NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) January 21, 2020
Is this next?
This should be a joke but unfortunately the things Florida has to deal with when it comes to invasive species isn’t really a joke. Maybe laughing about it will help folks be more aware.
F&W finally decided they were invasive..this past summer….now that we’re totally overrun with them
…told us to kill them all…as long as it’s humane….like shoot them but don’t hurt their feelings
One of our neighbors said he killed over 100 in one week…in his yard
Say that again. We here in Fort Lauderdale are overrun by invasive green iguanas of all sizes. We walked the dog yesterday pm and saw our ‘local park’ biggie ( over 3 foot tip to tail) going up one of the park coconut palms. Stopped about 15 feet up and just stared at us. Ah, what my Chicago based scoped 0.18 pellet gun could not have humanely accomplished with a 10x pumped head shot.
Alas, this morning’s dog walk at ~40F with an antique Irish shileighlei turned up no fallen green iguanas. They all fell/crashed in the bushes, not the grass. Not worth the hunt.
I find it odd sometimes that those who would return us all to “earlier times”, whether due to CO2 or Man’s presence, also present the presence or “cold’ that may eliminate some of them or Man willfully trying to eliminate them is somehow a bad thing.
PS In those “earlier time” such things as millions of buffalo crossed the plains.
“Native Americans” were know to drive whole herds over cliffs. … until the Spanish re-introduced the horse to North America.
And just when are those “return to earlier times” people going to launch a crusade to eliminate carp from North America (they are not “Native Americans”)?
Indeed? Where are the piles of millions of buffalo bones?
That Native Americans drove small groups of buffalo over cliff edges is true.
A) There are not a _ell of a lot of cliffs where people ‘can drive animals over’.
B) Native Americans were not known for wasting food, animals or plants.
ATheo: There is plenty of evidence of this, much of it in Canada, and even Google will let you read about it. I will grant you the BISON died due to the stupid army messing where it did not belong (American history would have been much different if the Army had stayed home, and much better, I believe. However, First Arriving Americans have casinos now, so who cares about the past.) One does not need a huge cliff to kill a bison in a fall, so there are plenty of places. Heard of the Rocky Mountains? The bison lived really close to there and I can think of a dozen places just off-hand where one could drive bison off a cliff.
A statement like “not wasting food, animals or plants” is generally a made up fantasy about a group of people one adores but really does not care about the reality thereof. Hunter/gatherers take everything out of an area and then move on. They use what they can and leave the remains. Using whatever means possible. That’s how it works.
ATheoK,
“Cliff falls” do not require a large cliff. A simple deep ravine is far more effective as the bison can “see” clear ground ahead, but come upon a sudden trench and stumble in crippling themselves and get trampled by their followers.
It still happens in Yellowstone Park.
Sorry for the confusion.
I did say “millions” and then in the next line said “whole herds”.
I didn’t mean that a “whole herd” contained millions.
Probably should have said something like “large groups”?
(Of course if that many were around today and tried to cross the interstates …)
PS If the link works, here’s their original range.
well to top it all off…we have the same green’s you have…and we also have another one we call alligator iguanas…has a head more like a gator..longer snout….and gets absolutely huge…5-6 ft or bigger for the old males and fat
Everyone around here seems to like RepeatAirs….12 shots as fast as you can…competition wadcutters will blow a hole out each time
Bring the gun back with you and come down…
Latitude,
Trying to avoid morons thinking they can just go-out and torture them (e.g., the infamous shark dragging incident).
I am not responsible for morons…even the ones in my gene pool
(I thought we were going to get this thing fixed…waiting on moderation because I used “K 1 ll”)
F&W finally decided they were invasive..this past summer….now that we’re totally overrun with them
…told us to k** them all…as long as it’s humane….like shoot them but don’t hurt their feelings
One of our neighbors said he killed over 100 in one week…in his yard
With any luck the iggys will land in fly habitat (an area where Florida really does excel!) and eat a bunch of the flies before expiring.
If they can do that, I’ll keep them around as pets.
Holy smokes everyone!
We have to save this species – and Global Warming is the answer!
Pull out the coal burner and turn the air conditioner up high and get a bigger car! We have to warm this planet to save the Iguana!
Cheers
Roger
http://www.rogerfromnewzealand.wordpress.com
Here you go, good eats.
https://www.food.com/recipe/iguana-451478
Thanks for the laugh, David.
Regards,
Bob
This actually happens. There are lots of iguanas on Gasparilla Island and they do go dormant when it gets cold and fall out of trees.
Bob, I trust you remember the movie “Night of the Iguana”, which was an adaption of a Tennessee Williams story about sexual frustration. David is focused in on these themes like a laser beam, and he leaving it up to us to figure out the hidden message, which appears to be a trait of persons with geophysical tendencies.
I was never a fan of sexual frustration… But I did like some of Tennessee Ernie Ford’s songs.
You load 15 tons of iguana and what do you get?
Another year older and your feet all wet.
Another day older, and deeper in pets?
Another day older and deeper in debt… 😎
I hate it when geophysical tendencies show up!
Particularly when you are in 7th grade and the girls are so much more mature than the boys.
First Godzillas started
https://www.google.com/search?q=1960s+godzilla+movies&oq=1960s+godzi&aqs=chrome.
The audience laughed about plasticine puppets on puppet strings. If they could have foreseen the 3ʳᵈ milleniums powerful visual languages!
I didn’t even know there were iguanas in Florida. You learn something new every time you visit wattsupwiththat. 🙂
They are not native to Florida.
An invasive species then?
Anybody have a good recipe? Tastes like chicken???
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/fl-reg-eating-iguana-south-florida-invasive-20180627-story.html
It rains cats and dogs elsewhere. In Florida it snows iguanas.
It rained fish here in Dallas a couple of years ago…
(disclaimer – everything I know in life comes from playing Fallout…)
Iguana soup? 1 carrot, 1 dirty water, 3 iguana bits + cooking station = iguana soup
You get 8XP for the crafting and consuming the soup gives you +95 hit points.
Vault Tec approves… probably… 🙂
They may get reprimanded for reporting on cold during the height of the global warming crusades.
Where does Godzilla go to survive the winter?
Bikini Atoll.
Hmmm…
Now if bikinis start falling from the trees, what’s left?
Nothing “Atoll”?
If you liked that bun … er … pun, Sorry.
If you don’t like buns .. er .. puns, Sorry.
Although my shape is a bit off the optimum for it these days, I’m willing to perform the experiment, but only in Florida. Here in the northwest, the weather is perfectly normal: About 40 F and raining sideways.
Gimme warmth.
Sorry, butt I’m happily married.
Not worth the risque. 😎
There is no First Church of God, in Zillah, WA. More is the pity…..
After David’s reply, I paused and thought (and checked if there really was a Zillah, Wa.).
I connected the dots.
A belated, “I don’t care who you are. That’s funny right there!” 😎
Larry the Cable Guy is never wrong… 👍
To all that missing heat hiding in the ocean.
It’s actually a work in progress, but they have well, and truly, jumped the ass.
So while the USA and the Northern Hemesphewre have their winter, here in Australia we are having our “”Normal”” summer “”
So the Greens have directed all of their fury onto us., including little Greta.
Ironically right now we here in South Australia are having a cold spell . Its 20 C
MJE VK5ELL
Same here in Victoria. Lots and lots of rain too….The horror!
Yes
Loving the rain although it is getting a bit difficult to get the masses to rebel against Global Warming. Perhaps when the whether warms up again. Richt now the political anger is directed against a minor government minister who directed sports grants to varlous electorates prior to the last election . Apparently the grants that went to government held electorates are classed as favouritism and those that went to opposition held electorates are classed as vote buying.
Yeah, and we get ‘drop bears’ instead of ‘drop iguanas’ 😂
It’s not a cold spell, Michael, it is Jay WeatherWall’s collection of electric fans all over the state accidently being set to ‘blow’.
Thanks Jay. You ruined my summer.
HOW DARE YOU!
Now wait a god damn minute, I was told by the u.n and greta that the world is on fire 😐 How can it be so cold when the world is on fire, Even the bbc said “the world is on fire”
Am I being lied to 😢
Yes. Actually it is their brains that are on fire.
Yes, those and their pants.
Let’s see,.. Very cold temps cause iguanas, an invasive species__ to become dormant and fall out of the trees.
Isn’t this a perfect time for an “iguana round-up”? Where’s the call for volunteers to go out and pick up as many critters as they can now that they have become paralyzed by the cold? Isn’t this a golden opportunity?
Come on “enviros”,.. stop your hand wringing and whining and get to work. You know what work is don’t you? Or is that a scary idea. Am I missing something here or is this a no-brainer method to reduce the population?
I’d say that it’s worth consideration especially for the areas where there are lots of people to go iguana hunting. 😉
This is probably good news, since all those cold-blooded gators will sitting in swamp water to stay warm, and probably won’t be out terrorizing people or other animals.
Meanwhile, Floridians will gather up the fallen iguanas and grill them on the barbie. Maybe they taste like chicken.
A good belly laugh has to be healthy, don’t ya think?
This is the second excursion of artic air into the United States this winter season. Fortunately for me, it didn’t push too far into my south-central U.S. location, we are just getting the back edge of it.
There will probably be one more such excursion between now and April.
I guess the invasive snakes in Florida can ride out the cold weather in the water without much trouble.
Never fear, the visiting Burmese pythons will put a dent in the iguana population. If not, we can always borrow some saltwater crocs from our Australian mates. I’m sure the crocs will return home when their visas are expired like all of our other exotic species. Maybe we should try Reticulated Pythons or Anacondas; they would help keep the gators in check, too. Gee, this “playing God” stuff is really fun; no wonder the Progressives do it so much! NOT! Thanks , David, for another good laugh!
Once the salt crocs do their job we can always borrow some can toads to take care of them. That will also help with any pythons that the crocs missed.
The invasive pythons will also be dormant/slowed.
Iguanas are supposed to be tasty.
Cook them like chicken.
ATheoK,
Cook them like chicken?
EXOTIC CUISINE.
The Judge’s forehead formed a frown.
”You stand before me, William Brown,
Charged with violations backed
By the Threatened Species Act,
To wit, that you, on April 2,
Did kill and eat a kangaroo.”
“I did, My Lord, my plea is Guilty.”
“I have in mind a heavy sentence
Unless you show me great repentance.
Something short of execution –
It’s now too late for restitution.
What say you to mitigate
The value of the roo you ate?”
“My Lord, I beg to you for mercy.”
“The farm I owned had copped the drought.
The roos ate all the pasture out.
I had no work, the kids no food.
I did what any father would
To save the life of kith and kin –
We ate the roo and tanned the skin.”
(His left eye shed a gentle tear).
The Judge’s eyes were moist as well.
The level of his fury fell.
“In view of evidence presented,
Because you have so much repented,
I see no need to go beyond
A 3-month good behaviour bond.”
“All stand, please” the Usher said.
AS William Brown walked out of Court
His Honour said in afterthought
“Before you go and now you’re free
Would you please describe for me
And learned Counsel present too,
What is the taste of kangaroo?”
William Brown thought long and deep.
“Your Honour, it is hard to say –
Let me put it in this way.
On one hand it is flavoured rather
Like a freshly-grilled koala.
But then again, it has a touch
Of marinated platypus.”
“With leave, My Lord, my cab is waiting.”
Geoff Sherrington 1993.
Delightful!
I seem to recall a joke from the 70s or so about a guy accused of killing and eating a California Condor.
When asked by the judge to describe the taste, he said “Well, it’s a bit like Golden Eagle, but tougher”
Will we see evolution in action and iguanas developing wings?
I’m enjoying the comments as much as the WUWT article! South Florida should consider the iguanas to be a future resource in case a SHTF scenario ever hits the area (anyone read “One Second After”?)! These critters seem pretty innocuous from my occasional visits, and what a great food resource post SHTF! I can see future survivors absolutely reveling in the Iguanado Festival!
Well, I guess we know which side of the global warming debate they come down on.
OUCH! 😎
(See “Larry” above.)