how did iguanas get to florida

Iguanas ended up in Florida mainly because people brought them there as pets and through cargo, and then many escaped or were released into the wild.

Quick Scoop

1. The basic story

• Green iguanas are not native to Florida; they naturally come from Central America, parts of South America, and some Caribbean islands.

• They first started showing up in Florida in the 1960s, especially around Miami and South Florida.

• Once they were loose, Florida’s warm, subtropical climate and abundant vegetation allowed them to survive and breed quickly.

2. How they actually got here

The main pathways:

• Pet trade:
  • Iguanas were imported in large numbers as exotic pets starting around the 1960s.

* Many owners released them when they became too big, messy, or expensive to care for, and some escaped from outdoor cages and enclosures.

• Intentional releases:
  • A documented case from the early 1960s: an exotic pet dealer reportedly released more than 300 green iguanas near Miami in 1964, which helped start a breeding population.

• Cargo and shipping:
  • Some iguanas likely arrived accidentally as stowaways on cargo ships, including shipments from nearby places like Cuba and other parts of the Caribbean.

3. Why Florida, specifically?

• Warm, frost‑free winters in South Florida mimic their native tropical habitat, so they can live outdoors year‑round.

• Plenty of canals, seawalls, trees, and landscaped yards give them ideal spots to bask, burrow, and nest.

• Few natural predators and lots of food (ornamental plants, fruits, flowers) let populations grow fast once established.

4. From a few lizards to an “iguana invasion”

• What started as scattered escaped or released pets in the 1960s has grown into large wild populations across South Florida, from about central Florida down through the Keys.

• Over time, their range has slowly expanded, with occasional sightings even farther north, although cold winters still limit them there.

5. Mini example: one release, big impact

Imagine a handful of pet iguanas being set free on a warm canal bank near Miami in the 1960s.

• They find trees to climb, shrubs to eat, and no serious predators.
• Within a few years, they’re breeding; within a few decades, that one “small” release is part of a much larger, interconnected wild population across neighborhoods, golf courses, and coastal areas.

TL;DR: Iguanas got to Florida because people imported them as exotic pets and through shipping; many were released or escaped starting in the 1960s, and Florida’s warm climate let them establish large wild populations.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.