# Cold snap brings frozen iguanas, threat of nuclear manatees to Florida **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 14, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-snap-brings-frozen-iguanas-threat-of-nuclear-manatees-to-florida/524933 "2010-01-14T14:30:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-snap-brings-frozen-iguanas-threat-of-nuclear-manatees-to-florida/524933/1 "2010-01-14T14:30:09Z")
[The extreme cold is making iguanas fall out of trees in Florida, and manatees warm themselves in the outflows from nuclear plants.](http://www.postgazette.com/pg/10014/1027878-151.stm?cmpid=bcpanel2) “Nuclear Manatees” would be a good band name. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-snap-brings-frozen-iguanas-threat-of-nuclear-manatees-to-florida/524933/2 "2010-01-14T15:40:22Z")
Manatees have congregated near the water outflow of nuclear power plants since there have been nuclear plants. They need warm water and the Gulf temperatures have been very chilly of late. Before the advent of nuclear power they’d go into spring fed rivers, which tend toward a constant 70 F or so. Maybe this is news in Pittsburgh, but it’s not news in Florida. As to the falling iguanas, we heard this on “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” the other day, and we found it to be extremely amusing, especially if a frozen iguana were to fall on someone (not injure them, of course). But I’ve not seen an actual news report of this yet, at least not in the Tampa area. Maybe Miami has the iguana problem. My daughter and I are really hoping that this is true. One actual problem has been sinkholes created by overtaxing the water table - strawberries and citrus are sprayed with water during extreme cold\* so that they are protected against freezing. Another real problem has been fish kills in the Gulf. Apparently our fish can’t take the cold, either. Thank you for your concern. Apparently it’s warming up now, so the manatees can go back to doing whatever it is that manatees do, and the iguanas can keep their grip. \*by Florida standards ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-snap-brings-frozen-iguanas-threat-of-nuclear-manatees-to-florida/524933/3 "2010-01-14T15:57:36Z")
If it means anything, CNN did have a video of falling iguanas. You’d think, on impact, they’d be stunned back into consciousness. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-snap-brings-frozen-iguanas-threat-of-nuclear-manatees-to-florida/524933/4 "2010-01-14T17:41:24Z")
I saw a falling iguanas video the other day, so they do exist. The danger is if it gets really cold, the iguanas and manatees will start snuggling together for warmth and we know where “snuggling” usually leads. Crossbredding will ensue and next thing you know we will have manguanas overrunning Florida. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-snap-brings-frozen-iguanas-threat-of-nuclear-manatees-to-florida/524933/5 "2010-01-14T17:44:17Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > [The extreme cold is making iguanas fall out of trees in Florida, and manatees warm themselves in the outflows from nuclear plants.](http://www.postgazette.com/pg/10014/1027878-151.stm?cmpid=bcpanel2) > > “Nuclear Manatees” would be a good band name. Speaking of good band names, didn’t Dave Barry once mention falling iguanas in one of his columns? ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-snap-brings-frozen-iguanas-threat-of-nuclear-manatees-to-florida/524933/6 "2010-01-14T17:50:39Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > If it means anything, CNN did have a video of falling iguanas. You’d think, on impact, they’d be stunned back into consciousness. [link](http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2010/01/08/vigliotti.frozen.iguanas.wplg.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-snap-brings-frozen-iguanas-threat-of-nuclear-manatees-to-florida/524933/7 "2010-01-14T17:56:53Z")
Another fairly major problem is that sea turtles are becoming cold-stunned. They float to the top, and are ravaged by boat propellers. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-snap-brings-frozen-iguanas-threat-of-nuclear-manatees-to-florida/524933/8 "2010-01-14T18:01:41Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Crossbredding will ensue and next thing you know we will have manguanas overrunning Florida. Not just manguanas. NUCLEAR manguanas. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-snap-brings-frozen-iguanas-threat-of-nuclear-manatees-to-florida/524933/9 "2010-01-14T18:06:28Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Another fairly major problem is that sea turtles are becoming cold-stunned. They float to the top, and are **ravaged** by boat propellers. And I thought plunger handles and police flashlights ala SVU were bad. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-snap-brings-frozen-iguanas-threat-of-nuclear-manatees-to-florida/524933/10 "2010-01-14T18:11:13Z")
Uh, that’s pronounce [Mangina](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR0_pehWuiY). ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-snap-brings-frozen-iguanas-threat-of-nuclear-manatees-to-florida/524933/11 "2010-01-14T18:12:42Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > And I thought plunger handles and police flashlights ala SVU were bad. Get your mind OUT of the gutter. He said [ravaged](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ravaged), not [ravished](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ravished).