Extreme temperatures across the east coast are causing cold-blooded reptiles to ‘shut down’ in Florida, while elsewhere sharks and penguins are feeling the chill

As New Englanders bundle up and hunker down to ride out the “bomb cyclone” that is currently hammering the eastern United States with freezing temperatures, heavy winds and snow, they can take comfort in one thing: at least it’s not raining iguanas.

Bomb cyclone: heavy snow pounds US east coast – in pictures Read more

That’s the situation in Florida, where unusually cold temperatures have sent the green lizards tumbling from their perches on trees – a result of the cold-blooded creatures basically shutting down when it gets too chilly. The iguanas are probably not dead, experts say, but merely stunned and will reanimate when they warm up.

Frank Cerabino (@FranklyFlorida) The scene at my backyard swimming pool this 40-degree South Florida morning: A frozen iguana. pic.twitter.com/SufdQI0QBx

Iguanas aren’t the only species struggling to cope with the cold snap.

In Texas, the temperature in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico has dipped low enough to cold-stun sea turtles, causing them to float to the surface where they are vulnerable to predators. The National Park Service had rescued 41 live but freezing turtles by midday Tuesday.

Play Video 1:05 Florida gets first snowfall in almost 30 years – video report

Meanwhile on Massuchusetts’ Cape Cod, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy has reported the strandings of three thresher sharks. Two of the sharks were probably suffering from “cold shock”, the group said, while the third had frozen solid.

“A true sharkcicle!” the group wrote on Facebook.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A man walks his dog through the snow in Boston on 4 January. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Even animals that seem particularly well-suited to frigid temperatures are feeling the chill. The Calgary Zoo announced on Sunday that it was moving its king penguins inside amid -13F (-25C) temperatures. King penguins are native to the subantarctic islands surrounding Antarctica. And a group of snowmobilers in Canada rescued a bull moose buried in 6ft of snow.

If penguins and moose can’t handle this weather, chances are your dog or cat can’t either. The Humane Society advises pet owners to keep their animals inside, make sure they have plenty of food and water, and wipe their paws with a damp towel to remove residue from sidewalk salt.