Most visitors never meet most of this. Florida is a big state and its wildlife changes a lot from region to region - a cane toad is a South Florida backyard problem, a black bear is a central and north Florida one, and a crocodile only matters in the far south. These guides are here for the encounter you do have, not because one is likely.
Green iguanas are an invasive species all over South Florida’s coastal neighborhoods, and they are not a serious predator threat to dogs or cats. The real risks are the chase – which usually heads straight for a canal, a seawall or the street – and the bite, scratch or tail-whip a cornered iguana will deliver. Keep dogs leashed and short around canals and seawalls, keep cats indoors, and do not let a pet mouth an iguana, dead or alive.
Where iguanas are thickest in South Florida
According to FWC, established green iguana populations stretch along the Atlantic coast in Broward, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach counties, and along the Gulf coast in Collier and Lee counties. Sightings farther north, in places like Alachua, Hillsborough and St. Lucie, are likely escaped pets rather than breeding populations.
They live in trees, shrubs and on the ground in suburbs, cities, small towns and farmland. UF/IFAS notes that canals and levees help them spread, and FWC says they dig burrows in cleared areas like canal banks and vacant lots. So the places a traveling dog meets them are predictable: canal banks, seawalls, golf courses, parks, landscaped yards, mangrove edges and the hedge next to your rental’s pool.
They are also large. FWC says males can exceed five feet in length and weigh up to 17 pounds; females can reach five feet but usually stay under seven pounds. A big male iguana is roughly the size of a small dog, which is worth remembering before you let your terrier “take care of it.”
Why the chase is the dangerous part
Iguanas run fast, climb, drop from branches and swim well. FWC says they tolerate both salt and fresh water and can stay submerged for a long time, and UF/IFAS notes their escape of choice is diving into water. That is exactly where a chasing dog ends up: at the lip of a canal or seawall. South Florida canals often have steep sides with no easy way out, the water can be deep, and alligators use them – and in far South Florida, so do crocodiles. The chase can also end in the street or deep in a thorny hedge.
A cornered iguana will defend itself with sharp teeth, sharp claws and a long tail that whips. A large adult can cause painful injuries, particularly to a dog’s face and eyes. Neither animal wins that exchange.
Cats
Outdoor cats will go after young iguanas, and a cat that follows one into a canal or a tree is a rescue problem. Keep cats indoors or securely contained while traveling in iguana country.
Cold snaps and “falling iguanas”
UF/IFAS says sustained temperatures of roughly 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit make green iguanas lethargic and stiff, and they can fall out of trees. They look dead. Often they are not.
FWC’s warning is direct: iguanas can recover from cold-stunning more quickly than you might expect, and once recovered they can act defensively with whipping tails, sharp teeth and claws. FWC also says never bring a cold-stunned iguana into your home or car to warm it up. For dog owners, the lesson is to keep the dog away from any “frozen” iguana on the lawn or sidewalk during a cold morning walk. A stunned iguana warming up in a dog’s mouth is a bad combination.
What the law says about iguanas
Green iguanas are nonnative and invasive, and FWC classifies them as a Prohibited species because of their effects on Florida’s environment and economy. They were added to the Prohibited list effective April 29, 2021, which ended keeping them as new personal pets. They damage landscaping and dig burrows that erode and collapse sidewalks, foundations, seawalls and canal banks, and FWC notes they eat endangered tree snails and host plants of threatened butterflies.
FWC’s rules on removal and handling have been changing. Under the current rules, landowners may humanely kill iguanas on their own property year-round without a permit, and the public may remove them on certain state-managed lands. A 2025 rule change, effective August 20, 2025, reworked the permits for collecting and selling live wild-caught iguanas. In January 2026, during a cold spell, FWC issued a temporary executive order letting the public bring live, cold-stunned iguanas to designated FWC offices on two specific days. The one rule that has not changed: captured iguanas cannot be relocated and released anywhere else in Florida.
None of that is a to-do list for visitors. If iguanas are a real problem at a home or rental, the property owner or a professional nuisance wildlife trapper should handle it under current FWC guidance.
Carcasses, Salmonella and your dog’s mouth
Do not let a dog bite, chew or eat an iguana, including a dead one on the road or a canal bank. Any wildlife carcass can expose a pet to bacteria, parasites, sharp bones and whatever else it has been lying in. FWC notes that iguanas can spread Salmonella to people through water or surfaces contaminated by their droppings, and UF/IFAS reports that captive green iguanas studied carried both Salmonella and E. coli. After walks along docks, pool decks and seawalls where iguanas bask, rinse your dog’s paws and wash your own hands. Call your vet if your pet eats a significant amount of an iguana, or develops vomiting, diarrhea or lethargy afterward.
If there is contact: bites, scratches and when to see a vet
Call a veterinarian after any iguana bite or significant scratch, and go the same day if you see puncture wounds, bleeding that does not stop, swelling, limping or any injury near the eye. If your dog went into a canal during the chase, check it over for other injuries and watch for coughing or labored breathing, which can follow inhaling water.
Iguana-country routine for dogs and cats
- Use a six-foot or shorter leash and skip the retractable, especially along canals, seawalls and docks.
- Walk on the landward side of canals and keep the dog a few steps back from any seawall edge.
- Scan trees and hedges ahead; if you see an iguana, give it room before your dog does.
- Supervise dogs in fenced yards – iguanas climb, and at many South Florida rentals the canal is the back edge of the yard.
- Keep cats indoors or contained.
- No mouthing of carcasses or cold-stunned iguanas.
- Call a vet after any significant bite, scratch or eye injury.
Iguanas are part of modern South Florida life, and they are fun to watch from a distance. They are not animals your dog needs to meet.
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