"The record-breaking arctic blast that hit Florida earlier this month may have sent humans scurrying for winter coats, but it sent wildlife scurrying, swimming and slithering for their lives. Some of those animals were native, some were invasive. Some survived. Thousands of others did not. The benchmark for cold snaps in Florida is the 2010 freeze, which killed manatees, crocodiles, iguanas, thousands of snook and goliath grouper, and caused 50% to 90% of invasive pythons to die in some areas."
"The most startling element of the 2010 freeze were massive fish kills, when thousands of snook and Goliath grouper, both native to Florida but vulnerable to cold water, perished in the shallows. Snook are one of the state's most cherished game fish and Goliath grouper populations are still recovering from 20th century decimation due to overfishing and mangrove habitat loss."
"Snook die-offs in 2010 were so severe that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission took the unusual step of closing the snook season for three years on the west coast and until September on the east coast. Deeper water is more thermally stable, but many snook were caught in the shallows, where water temperatures dropped to below what snook could tolerate, around 50 degrees, for at least two days."
The arctic blast brought overnight lows in the 30s and caused rapid wildlife mortality across Florida. The 2010 freeze remains the benchmark, when manatees, crocodiles, iguanas, thousands of snook and goliath grouper and large shares of invasive pythons died. The recent cold snap reached similar temperatures and proved deadly for many invasive tropical species, though some native animals fared better due to key differences. Massive fish kills in 2010 occurred when shallow water cooled below snook tolerance near 50 degrees for extended periods. Snook die-offs in 2010 prompted multi-year season closures, while deeper water provided more thermal stability during cold events.
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