{"688344":{"#nid":"688344","#data":{"type":"external_news","title":"After the cold snap: How iguanas keep coming back in Florida","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EResearch done in recent years after Florida\u0027s last historic cold snap reveals that the temperature at which iguanas become cold-stunned may be lower than what was commonly believed before.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0022As a scientist, I was fascinated why these lizards can now tolerate a colder temperature than they had recently, prior to this cold snap,\u0022 reptile researcher\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/james-stroud\u0022\u003EJames Stroud\u003C\/a\u003E of Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E told Gulf Coast News via Zoom.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EStroud has been studying invasive lizards of all sizes with a particular focus on understanding their tolerance for cold temperatures. His work has revolved around studying lizards that survive significant cold snaps and then testing to see how their tolerance changes afterward.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0022Prior to the cold snap event, all lizards could tolerate temps around 46 to 50 degrees,\u0022 Stroud said. \u0022After they experienced colder temps than they had experienced in the previous few winters, they could suddenly tolerate colder temps, down to around 42 Fahrenheit.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EResearch done in recent years after Florida\u0027s last historic cold snap reveals that the temperature at which iguanas become cold-stunned may be lower than what was commonly believed before.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0022As a scientist, I was fascinated why these lizards can now tolerate a colder temperature than they had recently, prior to this cold snap,\u0022 reptile researcher\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/james-stroud\u0022\u003EJames Stroud\u003C\/a\u003E of Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E told Gulf Coast News via Zoom.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EStroud has been studying invasive lizards of all sizes with a particular focus on understanding their tolerance for cold temperatures. His work has revolved around studying lizards that survive significant cold snaps and then testing to see how their tolerance changes afterward.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0022Prior to the cold snap event, all lizards could tolerate temps around 46 to 50 degrees,\u0022 Stroud said. \u0022After they experienced colder temps than they had experienced in the previous few winters, they could suddenly tolerate colder temps, down to around 42 Fahrenheit.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"36583","created_gmt":"2026-02-17 20:50:22","changed_gmt":"2026-02-18 15:45:27","author":"lvidal7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","publication":"Gulf Coast News","field_article_url":"","publication_url":"https:\/\/www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com\/article\/florida-iguana-cold-temperature-weather-invasive\/70259209","dateline":{"date":"2026-02-05T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-02-05T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"193386","name":"iguanas"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}