FGCU professors explain cold weather impacts on local wildlife

ESTERO, Fla.—The cold snap shaking up Southwest Florida has locals bundled up for warmth; however, how is native wildlife handling this weather?

WINK News spoke with Florida Gulf Coast University professors Oscar Johnson, Andrew Durso, and Serge Thomas about how the wildlife adapts to the colder weather.

“Most of our native amphibians and reptiles will be just alright during this cold,” said Durso. “They’ve been through weather like this before. Because of how short this cold snap is, they should be largely unaffected.”

Durso, who mainly spoke about reptilians during his interview, did mention a potential outlier in the case.

“The American crocodile can be an exception. We know that in 2010, when cold temperatures arrived in Southwest Florida, some American crocodiles died.”

Non-native species may not be so lucky, as Durso says that because of the sudden temperature shift, some invasive species may be susceptible to the overnight plummet in temperature. He did note that long-time invasive species such as Burmese pythons and green iguanas will have a bit of an easier time dealing with the colder temperatures, as they have been exposed to cold snaps like the one mentioned prior in 2010.

“It is possible that some animals may die from the cold, but it won’t have a significant population impact or extinction,” said Durso.

Johnson focused on the weather's impact on birds, noting that the species is thermally tolerant but sensitive to extreme shifts in temperature.

“They can thermoregulate well, but they operate at very high body temperatures,” said Johnson. “Their body temperatures are higher on average than mammals and have high metabolisms. For that reason alone, birds are more sensitive to cold snaps.” 

Johnson noted several instances in which severe cold snaps have killed large numbers of bird's mid-migration; however, during winter, birds have shown signs of resilience.

Thomas spoke on the impacts on marine life, highlighting the higher likelihood of fish kills during the cold snap.

Many native fish are sensitive to cold, as sudden changes in temperature can affect their enzymes and slow or shut down their body functions. 

“These enzymes cause your synapses to communicate, meaning they contribute to your muscles moving and body ‘firing’ up,” said Thomas. “If that enzyme becomes denatured, the connection is severed. How this applies to fish would be that the use of their gills and swimming movement will stop and cause them to belly up.”

While this cold snap may be temporary, it is important to note how impactful the sudden change in weather can be on our local wildlife.