A female iguana was found trapped inside a water slide at a Florida resort after she laid more than two dozen eggs that ended up at the bottom of a pool.
On Friday, Michael Ronquillo, owner of Humane Iguana Control, arrived at an unnamed resort in Miami after being contacted about the mother and her babies.
‘Upon our arrival, the iguana escaped, leaving 30 eggs in the pool. “We have received calls about iguanas nesting in unusual places like swimming pools, under artificial grass and cars,” Ronquillo said. Fox News.
Ronquillo said his team “has no idea” how the iguana and its eggs became trapped in the slide and pool.
Humane Iguana Control told DailyMail.com that the mother escaped from the plane while the eggs had to be “dispatched due to iguanas being an invasive species.”
A female iguana is seen trapped inside a water slide at a pool at a local resort in Miami, Florida. Her legs and claws are visible through the holes.
Michael Roquillo, owner of Human Iguana Control, said his team has “no idea” how the iguana and its eggs became trapped in the slide and pool.
Commenters flocked to social media and reacted to the strange discovery, with one saying: “She needed a place to lay her eggs.” We have a lot of iguanas in Florida, but this would scare me.
Another jokingly said: ‘Even iguanas have to go on vacation…’
The images showed the eggs scattered on the pool floor near the drain, while another shot showed the large female iguana trapped inside the water slide.
Her legs dangled from holes in the plane, while Ronquillo said his team believes the mother was “trying to lay eggs in there.”
“Female iguanas are very active during the breeding season and you will find them in random places,” he said in a post about the strange find in instagram.
Another clip showed experts looking inside the pool pipe with an endoscopy camera to “make sure” the iguana wasn’t trapped there.
Towards the end of the video, Ronquillo showed the collection of eggs that his team rescued from the bottom of the pool.
“We’re not really sure how the iguana got them on the slide, or in that area, and how they ended up in the pool,” Ronquillo said.
The reptiles’ mating season is usually from February to March, and Ronquillo said females have been known to lay “up to 70 eggs a year.”
Iguanas are some of the largest lizards found in the U.S., with their tails making up about half their length, according to San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Roquillo discovered 30 iguana eggs at the bottom of the pool, near where the female lizard was found.
Another clip showed experts looking inside the pool pipe with an endoscopic camera to ‘make sure’ the iguana was not trapped there.
The reptiles are native to Central America and some eastern Caribbean islands, and first arrived in Florida in the 1960s.
Since then, its population has been increasing steadily. Iguanas are known to get into sewage systems and are excellent swimmers.
In recent years, invasive reptiles have arrived in the Sunshine State and have been blamed for causing damage to buildings and power outages.
It is also extremely dangerous to approach iguanas in the wild.
“Addressing iguanas directly can pose bodily harm and health risks due to their sharp nails, teeth and tail whips that reach speeds of 30 mph,” Ronquillo said.
Ronquillo also highlighted that if an iguana or iguana eggs are seen in a body of water, such as a swimming pool, experts should be contacted as swimming pools can cause “health risks” to babies.
He added that iguanas are known to carry serious diseases and bugs such as salmonella, ticks and mites.
Wildlife experts have warned that iguanas can transmit salmonella to pets and cause erosion near lakes and canals, and when temperatures drop, the National Weather Service in Miami has been known to issue iguana drop advisories.
In recent years, invasive reptiles have arrived in the Sunshine State and have been blamed for causing damage to buildings and power outages. (Pictured: a green iguana hanging in the air in cold weather)
In May 2023, a Florida man, 58-year-old John Ride, got the surprise of his life when he noticed his bathroom was occupied by an angry iguana.
When it’s cold, below 40 degrees, the bugs go into a kind of suspended animation mode and fall to the ground. They usually wake up with the heat of the sun.
In May 2023, a Florida man, 58-year-old John Ride, got the surprise of his life when he noticed his bathroom was occupied by an angry iguana.
The scale intruder looked as stunned as Riddle as he began hissing angrily at him, turning his head towards his camera to take a menacing photo.
“I walked into my bathroom and found Godzilla in my bathroom,” Riddle said.
“He didn’t seem happy at all and started splashing and whistling at me.”
Before Riddle could finally use the bathroom, he grabbed a net he uses to clean his pool and pulled out the unwanted visitor.
“I guess I won’t leave the door open to the dogs anymore,” he added.