Key West wildlife · Updated September 2026
You'll spot them on seawalls, in the palms and all over the walls of Fort Zach: green iguanas, some bright green, the big males burnt orange. They're an invasive species, and there's even a boat tour that hunts them.
Short answer: Yes, Key West has lots of iguanas. They're non-native green iguanas, easy to spot anywhere there's sun, water and trees, and best seen mid-morning to early afternoon while they bask. Leave them be: they bite when cornered. If you want to go after them, Key West Surfari runs a private iguana hunt by boat from $875, and there's a Miami hunt from $600 on the drive down.
Spotting
You don't have to look hard. For the most, go mid-morning to early afternoon on a warm day, when they're out basking.
The rocky shoreline, the moat and the brick walls of the fort. Iguanas bask on the stone and climb the walls.
On Stock Island. Iguanas lounge in the trees and along the paths; several photos on this page were taken here.
Seawalls and the garden grounds at West Martello Tower draw basking iguanas.
Old trees and quiet grounds in the middle of Old Town.
Check the vegetation behind the beach.
Iguanas sun themselves on concrete and rock near water all over the island.
The iguana tours
Two private trips: one out of Key West, one in Miami on the drive down. Prices and open dates checked against FareHarbor on September 29, 2026; both have dates open through December.
Key West Surfari · Stock Island · Up to 6
The Keys option. A private half or full day by boat, spent hunting invasive iguanas along the mangroves. Spend the rest of the time snorkeling, paddleboarding or at a sandbar. An eFoil lesson can be added for $300.
| 4 hours, whole boat | $875 |
|---|---|
| 7 hours, whole boat | $1,200 |
Salty Fresh Fishing Charters · Miami · Private
Driving down from Miami? This one runs the canals around Snapper Creek before you hit the Keys. Four- to seven-hour private trips, all ages, open most days.
| 4 hours, whole boat | $600 |
|---|---|
| 5 hours | $700 |
| 6 hours | $800 |
| 7 hours | $900 |
Photos taken in Key West, via Wikimedia Commons: Green iguana on a dock rail in Key West by iPhone Photography, CC BY 3.0; Orange male iguana basking in Key West by Karsten Seiferlin, CC BY-SA 2.0; Green iguana in a tree, Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden by Alan Schmierer, CC0; Breeding-season orange iguana, Key West botanical garden by Alan Schmierer, CC0; Young iguana on the brick wall of Fort Zachary Taylor by Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0; Iguana draped over a branch, Key West by Alan Schmierer, CC0; Iguana high in the canopy, Key West by Alan Schmierer, CC0; Orange iguana climbing the Fort Zachary Taylor wall by Niranjan Arminius, CC BY-SA 4.0. Licenses: CC BY 2.0, CC BY 3.0, CC BY-SA 2.0, CC BY-SA 4.0, CC0.
The species
Green iguanas (Iguana iguana) aren't native to Florida. Pets released or escaped into the wild found a warm climate, plenty of food and few predators, and the population took off.
Central America to tropical South America and some eastern Caribbean islands. Florida's population started with released and escaped pets.
Males top five feet and can weigh up to 17 pounds. Females can also reach five feet but rarely pass seven pounds.
A female lays one clutch a year of 14 to 76 eggs, in a burrow.
Mostly plants: leaves, flowers and fruit, including landscaping and native plants.
They swim well and often drop from a branch into the water when startled.
They aren't cold hardy. In a hard cold snap they go limp and can fall out of trees: Florida's “frozen iguanas.”
The problem
Their burrows erode and collapse sidewalks, foundations, seawalls, berms and canal banks.
They strip flowering plants and gardens.
They eat plants that endangered species depend on for habitat.
Iguana droppings can carry salmonella and foul docks, pools and patios.
The law
Rules checked against the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on September 29, 2026.
Green iguanas have been a prohibited species in Florida since April 29, 2021. Keeping one as a pet now takes a permit, and they can't be sold as pets.
With the landowner's permission, iguanas can be removed and humanely killed year-round. No license or permit is needed.
Removal is allowed without a license or permit on 32 FWC-managed properties under an FWC executive order. Other public land needs authorization.
Captured iguanas can't be released somewhere else.
They're protected by Florida's anti-cruelty law, so any killing has to be humane.
Discharging a firearm is prohibited in most of Key West. Check local ordinances before trying any removal yourself.
On the menu
Yes. Iguana is eaten across Central and South America, where it's called gallina de palo, chicken of the tree. It's lean and high in protein. Because iguanas can carry salmonella, the meat has to be cooked thoroughly.
Visiting
More wildlife
Iguanas share the mangroves with herons, rays and the occasional nurse shark. These trips paddle straight into it. Prices checked September 29, 2026; some dates cost more.
Sunset Watersports · 5 hours
A guided kayak through the mangrove islands, then a sandbar stop. Lunch, beer, wine and mimosas are included.
| Adult | from $129.95 |
|---|---|
| Youth 5–12 | from $89.95 |
Danger Charters · 4.5 hours
A shallow-draft schooner to the backcountry, then kayaks through the mangrove channels and a snorkel stop. Sodas, beer, wine and snacks included.
| Adult | $105 |
|---|---|
| Child 4–12 | $85 |
Questions
Yes. Green iguanas live all over Key West: on seawalls, in trees, at Fort Zachary Taylor, the cemetery and the botanical garden. You'll almost certainly see several on any visit.
Not usually. They're plant eaters and run from people. If cornered they can bite and whip their tails, and their droppings can carry salmonella, so keep your distance and don't feed them.
Yes. Key West Surfari runs a private Guided Iguana Hunt EcoTour from Stock Island for up to six people: $875 for four hours or $1,200 for seven, per boat. In Miami, Salty Fresh Fishing Charters runs private iguana hunts from $600 for four hours.
On private property with the owner's permission, iguanas can be humanely removed year-round without a license. Public land needs authorization, releasing captured iguanas elsewhere is illegal, and firearms are banned in most of Key West.
Released and escaped pets established a population, the climate suits them, they have few predators, and each female lays 14 to 76 eggs a year.
Yes. Iguana is eaten across Central and South America, where it's called gallina de palo, or chicken of the tree. It has to be cooked thoroughly because iguanas can carry salmonella.
Keep reading
A private boat for up to six, four hours for $875.
See the iguana tour
