An iguana that ‘looked like Godzilla’ made an unwelcome appearance (Picture: Mega)
A man was given the shock of his life when he came face-to-face with an incensed iguana in his own bathroom.
John Riddle was just nipping to the loo at his home in Hollywood, Florida when he discovered the huge reptile glaring up at him from inside the toilet bowl.
It quickly became clear that the terrifying lizard was obviously just as unhappy about the situation as John after it started angrily hissing at him.
The 58-year-old, of Hollywood, near Miami, said: ‘I walked in my bathroom and found Godzilla in my toilet.
‘He didn’t seem at all pleased and started splashing and hissing at me.’
In a snapshot reminiscent of a scene from the movies about the fictional monster John likened the iguana to, he even managed to get the perfect – or perhaps creepiest – picture.
Before attempting to remove ‘Godzilla’ from his toilet, John managed to take a photo of the creature looking up at the camera with its mouth wide open.
John Riddle said he found ‘Godzilla in his toilet’ (Picture: MEGA)
The creature had made its way into the toilet bowl (Picture: MEGA)
Despite the iguana’s hostile temperament, John bravely fetched it from his toilet bowl with a net he uses to clean his swimming pool.
He added: ‘I guess I won’t be leaving the door open for the dogs any more.’
It must have also made holding on for the toilet somewhat more difficult when you get a fright like that.
Iguanas can grow up to a metre long, including their tails, and although not native, they have actually become common in South Florida.
It’ll probably go down as one of the more memorable trips to the loo (Picture: MEGA)
John eventually removed the iguana from his toilet bowl with a net he uses to clean his swimming pool (Picture: MEGA)
It is believed that they were brought to the area as pets in the 1960s, and some may have escaped or been released.
They are known to make their way into sewer systems and it’s not uncommon for them to end up in toilets, due to their natural ability as strong swimmers.
The animals have been blamed in recent years for causing damage to buildings and power outages.
While not directly dangerous to people, wildlife experts say iguanas can also transmit salmonella and cause erosion near lakes and canals.
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Last year in Florida, which is also known as the sunshine state, iguanas were getting so cold that they started falling out of trees.
A cold snap by Florida’s standards saw the cold-blooded lizards losing their grip, with their bodies essentially ‘shutting down’.
Most of them survived but they were largely unable to function in the unusually chilly weather, which saw record-low temperatures hovering around freezing.
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It’s not every day you come face to face with the real life Godzilla.