Challenge of the Mind 

Kevin Guerra

Mr. Skipper

Encounters 8

January 17, 2023

The Green Godzillas terrorize Florida

Introduction

Invasive species are a big problem in the world today, destroying other animals' habitats and causing many problems to the places they inhabit. One of these animals is the green iguana which has become a huge problem in many parts of Florida and has been one of the worst and most irritating invasive species that has brought havoc to the non-native places it inhabits. The green iguanas were first introduced into Florida and had been spreading quickly all over Florida causing much damage to urbanized and populated regions of Florida. Green iguanas have been digging burrows around these cities destroying roads, homeowners' lawns, and even the foundations of buildings.

 The damage to the infrastructure and buildings around these cities has been significant and costly to these humanized cities. The green iguana is a huge problem in Florida and has continued to spread throughout rapidly and will continue to be unless they are reduced and managed in these non-native areas.

Description

Green iguanas are big beautiful lizards that can range in various colors. However, even though they are beautiful they are still a very destructive species when they start to invade unnatural habitats. The Green iguanas are one of the most annoying and” in your face” species that will destroy anything they see in their way (Brasileiro).

Green iguanas, as implied by their name, are mostly green but vary depending on their age or different times of the year. Iguanas, in their youth, start as bright green and turn a darker olive green when they are adults. Their color also depends on other factors, one being the climate or time of year. The iguanas change a darker color when it is colder to attract and absorb the sun's warmth. Breeding periods are also a factor in the color of green iguanas causing them to turn orange and brown when males are preparing to breed (Borcyck).

Iguanas have important body parts that can help them on different occasions and all have different uses. Green iguanas have a row of spines along their back and tails to help them defend themselves from their predators. The tail of an iguana also has some uses that are critical to helping them survive. Their tails can act as a weapon against predators because of their spiny tails and can be dispatched when needed. The good thing for them is that they will eventually regrow their tail. Green iguanas have a flap of skin that hangs off their neck called a dewlap. This helps them regulate their body temperature and can be used to show their territory (“Green Iguana”).

Introduction to non-native habitats

Green iguanas are a vastly spreading invasive iguana species that has taken over many parts of Florida. Green iguanas naturally range from Central and South American regions in countries such as Mexico, Brazil, and Paraguay. These iguanas are native to the Caribbean islands near South American coasts and often live in tropical rainforests, dry forests, and close to water. Although it is not known exactly how or when the green iguana was introduced we do know that they were first introduced to the Miami area. These iguanas live mostly near the coast and other natural habitats like mangroves. They have started to inhabit the urbanized areas of Florida and don't have a problem thriving in human-modified areas (Borcyck). There are different ways that people believe could be how the green iguanas were introduced to Florida, but the most commonly believed theory is that around 60 years ago an exotic pet owner purposely released hundreds of these green iguanas into Miami and other parts of Florida (Borcyck). The iguanas that were released into the wild quickly became a huge pest control when they started to mass produce and spread into other areas around Florida (BioBubble). There have also been other releases of the green iguanas because of their popularity among people in the United States and most of Florida. As they begin to grow taking care of them gets more and more challenging. The difficulty for owners to take care of them causes owners to release them, contributing to their invasive spread that is constantly expanding into other areas other than Florida (Borcyck). There is also another big reason why green iguanas are growing as an invasive species and that is the pet trade. Green iguanas are an invasive species that seem to be growing in population in Florida constantly. These iguanas are continuing to be a problem in Florida and will continue to be until people put a stop to the spread of these invasive species (Brasileiro).

Adverse Effects

The green iguana is a very annoying invasive species that spread very quickly and has done so spreading havoc and damaging a lot of property through the city streets of Miami, Florida. Green iguanas have been seen in the streets of humanized cities digging and using burrows from other native species around Florida. They have been becoming problems for the species that live in these burrows by displacing them from their homes and native area. These iguanas are a mostly herbivorous species and eat all kinds of plants, leaves, and fruits, causing them to transport seeds from invasive plants into other nearby natural areas but their impacts have been minimal because of them not spreading into other areas, thus not spreading it further. Green iguanas are not usually aggressive toward people, there have been several vehicle accidents involving the green iguana. are usually caused when these giant iguanas dash across the road in densely populated areas causing these drivers to crash (Borcyck). Even though green iguanas aren't aggressive toward people or pets they still have been spreading some diseases that aren't sanitary like salmonella poisoning (Brasileiro). Green iguanas have been a problem and have disrupted many aerial flights on the runway. They have caused many flights to be delayed when they decide to crowd the runway as if it was theirs.

Not only do green iguanas have ecological effects but they also have economic effects and have cost the city of Miami, and other cities across Florida a lot of money. The removal of these problematic species comes with a huge cost to cities coming to around 100,000 dollars. Green iguanas have been a huge disturbance to the people around the invaded city of Miami getting much property damage from these burrow-digging species. They have caused homeowners to have to buy wired fencing around their homes to protect their plants and patios from being destroyed by these iguanas. The green iguana is a very irritating species that has caused a lot of damage ecologically and economically and people need to do as much to stop their damage (Borcyck).

Conclusion

The green iguana is a destructive and troublesome invasive species that has brought havoc in the streets of not only Florida but in other places near the Caribbean like Puerto Rico. The invasive spread of green iguanas is reduced and controlled in their non-native areas to help stop this destructive species. There are several ways people in these areas are trying to help stop the spread and support the removal of the green iguanas, some of them being people from the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. Since the green iguana has also invaded this area of Puerto Rico, some hunters have decided to voluntarily kill green iguanas to remove them from their land and property(BioBubble). There have also been some laws implemented by the state of Florida to help with the removal of these pesky iguanas by not allowing them to be owned as personal pets or be used for any commercial use, meaning that they are now a prohibited species in Florida. Even though green iguana is protected by the non-cruelty law in Florida, they can still be legally killed if they are on private property. Organizations around these inhabited areas like the FWC have also been in support of the removal but have chosen to do it in a less harmful way, allowing iguana owners to give up their iguanas for no cost (Borcyck). Even though there are many ways people are helping to stop these invasive iguanas, there is still a long way to go with the removal of them but day by day, they are gradually being removed. This is a serious problem not only in Florida but in many other parts of the world and with the help of many more people the green iguana problem can finally be resolved.

Works Cited

Brasileiro, Adriana. “Florida's invasive iguana population is booming. And that's a problem.” Tampa Bay Times,  Times Publishing Company, 26 Nov. 2019, www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2019/11/26/floridas-invasive-iguana-population-is-booming-and-that's-a-problem/.

Borcyck, Paige, et al. ”Florida's Introduced Reptiles: Green Iguanas.”askifas, 26 July. 2022, WECC440, edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/UW485.

“Green Iguana.”Animalia, Animalia. bio/green-iguana.

“Iguanas Can Also Be A Nuisance To Humans As They Can Damage Crops And Property The Iguana Population On Puerto Rico.” BioBubble, 4 Sep 2022, biobubblepets.com/iguanas-can-also-be-a-nuisance-to-humans-as-they-can-damage-crops-and-property-the-iguana-population-on-Puerto-Rico/.