Nobody likes the cold. Not even cold-blooded alligators.
The US state of North Carolina witnessed an unusually cold last week thanks to the recent "bomb cyclone" that hit most of eastern United States. A viral video shows how the reptiles adapted to the frozen surroundings. Nature is pretty impressive, eh?
"Have you ever wondered how alligators survive in the winter?" says a voice in a video posted on Shallotte River Swamp Park's Facebook page.
The video shows several alligators poking their snouts of a frozen pond to survive the biting cold weather. With their bodies suspended in the water, a thin layer of ice formed on top of the pond hardening around their snouts.
Alligators can actually survive in water temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit, says a blog post by the swamp park. In chilly winters, they go into a state of brumation (much like hibernation), where their metabolism slows down dramatically and they go into a lethargic state. If they need to breathe, they poke their nostrils out, just like in the video.
Watch the video here:
https://www.facebook.com/shallotteriverswamppark/videos/768604326672879/
COMMENTS"This is not typical in southeast North Carolina. We get some cold winters but this last week was unusually cold. This is the first time i have ever seen this but it is a common occurrence in the winter in other areas," a park official told NDTV.
After the ice thawed, the alligators came out and basked under some well-needed sun.