Giant Iguana Breaks Free in a FedEx Hub and Sends Employees Scurrying

There’s a hidden world of reptiles travelling through the overnight‑shipping system, tucked inside FedEx boxes and moving under strict temperature controls. Most of us never see it, but the employees at a Memphis, Tennessee, hub learned the hard way that a lizard can be more than just a package.

Roderick Duncan, 41, had bought a second iguana and, wanting to avoid a sweltering July delivery, arranged to collect the animal himself. He showed up at the FedEx office with his everyday prescription lenses – which happen to be Meta smart glasses – ready to document the hand‑off.

The staff, assuming the crate held a fish, asked Duncan to open it and make sure the iguana was still alive. No one expected what happened next. The creature, far larger than anyone had imagined, vaulted out of the box, skidded across the counter, and sent the workers into a sudden scramble.

One employee actually went down, and the whole chaos was captured by Duncan’s glasses. “Oh s‑‑‑t, he’s bigger than I thought,” he told the New York Post, still a little shaking from the surprise. He estimated the new iguana was about twice the size of his first pet, a hefty, muscular reptile he now calls Titan.

Rather than panic, Duncan tried to stay calm, worried more about the fallen worker than the lizard. “I was worried about her,” he said, referring to the employee who tripped. In the end, no one was seriously injured – the iguana was just a very large, very startled animal in an unfamiliar space.

After the clip hit millions of views, some viewers accused Duncan of staging the scene. He posted extra footage to prove it was real, insisting, “I hate that people think it was malicious.” Back home, Titan has apparently settled down. “He’s pretty chill now,” Duncan reports. The iguana now shares an enclosure with the first iguana and a family dog, looking more like a relaxed houseguest than a runaway menace.

The episode shines a light on how exotic pets are shipped across the country – they require FedEx‑certified packaging, a priority‑overnight label, and careful temperature monitoring. It also reminds us that even the most routine pickup can turn into a wild, unforgettable moment.