On Marco Island, John Johnson is on the hunt.
Like a policeman for pests, Johnson patrols the 4-by-6-mile island in a 4-by-4.
"We're going to find them,” Johnson told Gulf Coast News, giving a thumbs up to the camera.
What he’s searching for can be hard to spot, but they are everywhere.
Johnson is looking for an invasive species. It’s one known to harm your landscape, seawalls and other wildlife.
They’ve become so much of a problem, the state of Florida not only allows people to humanely kill them. It encourages it.
Before he sets up his air rifle, Johnson calls Marco Island police to alert them to his intentions.
"There's a man with a gun here. And it's me,” he said.
While lining up his shot, Johnson puts the problem into perspective. Last year alone, he killed more than 700 of the invasive pests.
He looks through the scope, places his finger on the trigger and pulls it.
“Down goes iguana,” he said
FROM THE TREE TO THE TABLE
Of those hundreds of iguanas – yes, iguanas – some end up on John O’Connell’s cutting board.
He’s asked where he learned how to clean iguanas.
“YouTube,” he said, smiling. “YouTube University. I'm taking the four legs and the tail, which is where the bulk of the meat is."
O’Connell is an environmental science instructor at Florida Gulf Coast University.
He found out about the other John a couple years ago.
“(Johnson) was posting about the iguanas he killed, and I just sent a message to him and said, ‘Can I have some?’” O’Connell said.
Ever since then, O'Connell has invited his students to a lesson of sorts to prove you can make use of this invasive species.
While cleaning the iguana isn’t exactly appetizing, before long – and after a little parboil – it looks like any other white meat.
A few days later, O’Connell fries up the meat and adds seasoning.
“It’s important to not overcook it,” he said.
‘IT TASTES LIKE CHICKEN’
After the meat is prepped, O’Connell heads off to a picnic at Three Oaks Park.
“We've got, of course, the signature dish, which is the iguana,” O’Connell told the students who’ve gathered. “Eat and be merry."
It’s iguana tacos on the menu and is a taste test for the students.
“Pretty good! Tastes like chicken,” one student said.
“A little more mild,” another said. “I don't know how to describe it."
Some say it tastes like chicken. It’s become known as the “Chicken of the Trees,” after all. Others liken it to turkey.
Either way, no one at the picnic flat-out disliked it. Johnson, whose removal service is called Down Goes Iguana , even showed up to try the fruits of his labor.
O’Connell hopes the lesson is more than just the realization that people can eat the green lizards.
He hopes to prove that people can be more resourceful with their food, a lesson that goes beyond iguana tacos.
“It can be good. It doesn't have to be weird,” O’Connell said. “It's just that getting over that hump of thinking, 'I'm eating a lizard.' And that's challenging for people. But once you get over that, you start to maybe say, 'What other things have I been closed-minded about, that I might be able to explore in life?'"
If you’d like to help control the iguana population – properly – FWC has information on how to do so.
The University of Florida has shared recipes for eaiguana, along with food safety information. It’s important the iguana are prepared and cooked properly.