The advice to residents of Florida about the rapidly multiplying green iguanas could not have been clearer – kill them, “whenever possible”.

Naturalists say the lizards, which are an invasive species to the state, are reproducing more quickly than usual because of an extended warm spell. They can cause damage to infrastructure by burrowing, and foul swimming pools and lakes. Given the creatures can lay up to 75 eggs a year and reach up to 5 feet in length, officials have urged residents to help.

“Green iguanas are not native to Florida and are considered to be an invasive species due to the damage they can cause to seawalls, sidewalks, and landscape plants. This species is not protected in Florida expect by anti-cruelty law,” said a notice posted by the state’s fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC).

It added: “Homeowners do not need a permit to kill iguanas on their own property, and the FWC encourages homeowners to kill green iguanas on their own property whenever possible.”

The creatures, originally from South America, have long been a menace in Florida, and there have been various attempts to try and deal with them.

The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Show all 30 1 /30 The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Black salamander Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth White-lipped island pitviper White-lipped island pitviper (Trimeresurus albolabris insularis) Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Mossy frog Mossy frog (Theloderma corticale) Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Colourful rhinoceros viper Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Albino alligator, USA Alligator mississippiensis, Albino alligator, USA Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Siamese Peninsula pitviper Siamese Peninsula Pitviper (Popeia fucata) Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Golden dart frog, Colombia Phyllobates terribilis, Golden dart frog, Colombia Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Satanic leaf-tailed gecko, Madagascar Satanic leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus) Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Purple harlequin toad The Purple harlequin Toad (Atelopus spumarius barbotini) has only been discovered in 2013. They are found on Mt Nassau, Suriname, due to illegal gold mining they can be considered critically endangered. Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Red salamander Red salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Two-headed corn snake Pantherophis guttata, two headed snake Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Plumed basilisk Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Cameroon dwarf gecko Cameroon dwarf gecko (Lygodactylus conraui) Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Rock monitor Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Strawberry poison frog, Panama Oophaga pumilio "escudo", Strawberry frog, Panama Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Tokay gecko Tokeh (Gekko gecko) Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Western blue-tongued skink Western blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua occipitalis) Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Guiana Shield Leaf Toad The Guiana Shield Leaf Toad (Rhinella lescurei) is a bizar, alien look, toad species found in Suriname,Guiana and probably Brazil. Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Boelen's python Boelen's python ( Morelia boeleni) Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Baja Blue Rock Lizard, Mexico Petrosaurus thalassinus, Baja Blue Rock Lizard, Mexico Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Blue beauty snake, Vietnam Blue beauty snake - not the reptile bitten by a man in Uttar Pradesh Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Azure Dart Frog, Suriname Dendrobates tinctorius azureus, Azure Dart Frog, Suriname Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Doi Suthep bent-toed gecko, Thailand Doi Suthep Bent-toed gecko, Cyrtodactylus doisuthep Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Blue rock iguana Blue rock iguana (Cyclura lewisi) Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Costa Rica nelson frog The Costa Rica Nelson frog (Ctenophryne aterrima) is a robust, terrestrial and nocturnal black frog species found in Panama,Costa Rica and Ecuador. Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Yellow-banded poison dart frog yellow-banded poison dart frog (Dendrobates leucomelas) Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Gran Canaria blue-tailed skink Chalcides sexlineatus, Gran Canaria blue-tailed skink, Gran Canaria island, Canary islands, Spain Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Hairy bush viper, DR Congo Atheris hispida, Hairy bush viper, DR Congo Matthijs Kuijpers The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Photographer Matthijs Kuijpers on a trip many years ago Supplied The most rare and strange cold-blooded creatures on Earth Photographer Matthijs Kuijpers with a galapagos tortoise Supplied

Authorities say iguanas brought to Florida as pets or hitchhiking on ships have flourished in the conditions found there.

Another invasive species, the Burmese python, is wreaking havoc in the Everglades because the big snakes eat almost anything and have no natural predators, the Associated Press reported.

Slow loris victims of the illegal wildlife trade return to freedom in the rainforest

Joseph Wasilewski, a scientist from the University of Florida who studies wildlife in Florida and the Caribbean, told ABC News the iguanas were a “serious problem from many standpoints”.

“They will destroy agriculture, undermine roads, cause electrical transformers to fail, they can transmit salmonella,” he said.

Yet, he said he was not delighted the authorities had decided to kill the lizards.

“It saddens me that all of these magnificent animals, along with multitudes of other invasive reptile species have to be put down,” he said. “There is no alternative for the problems.”