Leapin’ lizards!
A routine FedEx pickup turned into reptile mayhem when a massive iguana leaped out of its box and across the counter, sending unsuspecting employees scrambling.
The hilarious encounter unfolded at a FedEx location in Memphis, Tennessee, where Roderick Duncan, 41, had gone to pick up the newest addition to his household.
Duncan already owns another iguana but chose to have his second reptile delivered to the FedEx location instead of his home because of the hot summer weather.
Shipping an iguana through FedEx is not as unusual as it may sound. The company allows certain harmless reptiles to be shipped domestically using overnight services, though the shipper must receive prior approval and use FedEx-approved packaging.
Employees initially believed there was a fish inside the package and became curious after learning an iguana was actually inside.
“Can you take him out to check he’s alive?” Duncan recalled them asking.
They quickly got their answer.
While Duncan was opening the package, the bulky reptile suddenly sprang out, ran across the counter and sent employees scattering. One startled worker even fell to the floor during the commotion.
“My initial thought was, ‘Oh s–t, he’s bigger than I thought,” he told The Post. “He was bigger, thicker, more grown,” Duncan said, estimating the iguana was about twice the size of his first.
Duncan said he wanted to stay calm to avoid escalating the situation, especially after seeing one of the employees fall.
“I was worried about her,” he said, adding that he knew the iguana posed no danger to those inside the store.
The perfectly timed footage was not planned either.
Duncan had been recording the pickup using his Meta glasses, which also serve as his everyday prescription glasses, to document the process of bringing his new pet home.
It was not until Duncan got home and rewatched the footage that he realized just how hilarious the chaotic encounter looked on camera.
The clip quickly took off online, drawing millions of views and a flood of comments from viewers amused by the employees’ frantic reactions.
But Duncan said some viewers mistakenly believed he had intentionally let the iguana loose to create viral content.
“I hate that people think it was malicious,” he told The Post.
Duncan later posted the full video to provide more context around the chaotic encounter and show that he had not intentionally let the iguana loose for content.
Despite his explosive introduction, the reptile has been much more laid-back since arriving home.
Duncan said he is currently letting the iguana settle into his enclosure before beginning to feed and handle him more regularly next week.
“He’s pretty chill,” Duncan said. “He hasn’t really jumped or anything now.”
The new arrival will share a room dedicated to Duncan’s pets alongside his first iguana and dog.
After seeing his hefty size paired with his surprisingly “chill” personality, Duncan found a fitting name for his newest companion: Titan.
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