--- title: "Saboteur Iguana Causes Mass Power Outage, Then Dies" description: "The war between Floridians and invasive iguanas continues. Unfortunately for some Floridians, one iguana laid its life on the power line this week." date: "2022-12-09" modified: "2022-12-09" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/saboteur-iguana-causes-mass-power-outage-dies" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "florida" - "invasive species" - "reptiles" - "the digest" --- # Saboteur Iguana Causes Mass Power Outage, Then Dies ![The war between Floridians and invasive iguanas continues. Unfortunately for some Floridians, one iguana laid its life on the power line this week.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Sir Saboteur The war between Floridians and invasive iguanas continues. And unfortunately for the Floridians, their reptilian nemeses are willing to lay it all on the line — literally. As local newspaper [*Sun Sentinel* reports](), a rogue iguana became a martyr for its own cause when it climbed onto a power grid's transformer, triggering a mass power outage that impacted roughly 1,400 customers in Palm Beach. Despite a resounding mission success, the saboteur iguana paid the ultimate price, losing its life in the process. "Nothing is going to survive that situation," Ben Kerr, a spokesperson for the city of Lake Worth Beach, told the paper. "The pictures are horrible every time this happens." ## Big Bois As it turns out, this is actually a pretty big problem in large part due to the sheer size of the reptiles. Iguanas are not native to the area and have proven to be a huge problem. Earlier this year, the city of Miami [announced a new bounty plan](), offering to pay hunters for bringing in iguanas — dead or alive. The iguanas are also incredible climbers, and if they were to ever lumber up a utility pole, they're large enough to cover two power lines at once, triggering a massive short. They're also so heavy that, in the event that they do make it onto a transformer, the resulting short, as Kerr put it to the *Sentinel*, can't just "blast them off." "If it was a bird or small animal, the system would carry on serving power," he said, explaining that the iguanas' carcasses have to be manually removed by energy professionals. "You wouldn't even know what happened." ## War Drum Beats On In response, several areas have installed "hardening" measures to protect city power lines and other critical infrastructure from the curious climbers, according to the *Sun Sentinel*. But as this week's incident goes to show, those measures don't have a perfect success rate. That being said, iguanas have only caused three power outages this year, which, per the *Sentinel*, is a 60 percent decrease from 2021. The iguana war, meanwhile, wages on. **READ MORE:** *[Rogue iguana causes widespread power outage in Lake Worth Beach]()* \[*Sun Sentinel*\] **More on invasive species:** *[Tender New Yorkers Refuse to Kill Horrible Invasive Bug]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()