See the Massive Iguana a Man Found When He Opened His Toilet

When we imagine some of our worst fears at home, we think of the monster under the bed, someone breaking into our house or opening the door, and there being a bear outside. However, our fears rarely ever come true. Well, for this man in Toilet, Florida…we mean Hollywood, Florida, he was about to get the scare of a lifetime. 

Iguana Sighting in Florida

Homeowner Gary Greenspan woke up on Saturday, October 21, 2023, in his home in Hollywood, Florida. And like most of us, when we wake up, we want to use the restroom. Only when he opened his toilet he found a live iguana staring back at him!

“There’s nothing like getting up in the morning and finding an iguana in your toilet,” Gary Greenspan said. “I went to use the restroom, opened the lid of my toilet, and jumped back about four feet.”

Greenspan said he wasn’t about to grab this iguana himself. So he called animal control and also a friend to help him capture this green iguana.

In the NBC6 video, the homeowner said, “I don’t know if it was just looking for a spa day or what, but it’s huge, and I don’t know how it got there. So we’re waiting on, like I said, animal control and once they remove it, I’ll be a happy camper.” 

However, just before anyone could catch this slippery iguana, it squeezed down the pipes, and as quickly as it was there, it was gone. Only, this little fellow didn’t go very far. Greenspan’s neighbor let him know that the iguana made its way into his toilet just down the road! “My neighbor texted me that he had found a lizard in his toilet and caught it,” Greenspan said.

This neighbor was a little more familiar with slithering reptiles and had no problem safely capturing them. WSVN news reported that Greenspan and his friendly neighbor safely transported this iguana up the road and let it loose. 

Are Iguanas Native to Florida?

Iguanas of the family Iguanidae can be found residing in Central America, North America, and South America. There are approximately 35 recognized species of iguana. And of these 35 species, there are 350-400 adults. 

Florida is known to have three invasive iguana species, which are the black spiny-tailed iguana, the Mexican spiny-tailed iguana, and the green iguana. None of these three have a native habitat in Florida, however. 

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission adds that “Green iguanas are not native to Florida and are considered an invasive species due to their impacts on native wildlife…Some green iguanas cause damage to infrastructure by digging burrows that erode and collapse sidewalks, foundations, seawalls, berms, and canal banks.”

Greenspan would have been within his rights to humanely kill this invasive green iguana on his private property, according to FWC. However, he and his neighbor safely removed the reptile and relocated it.