OCEAN ISLE BEACH, NC — This week has been a frigid one in North Carolina, as a blast of arctic air pushed into the region last weekend, leaving residents throughout the state turning up thermostats and bringing pets in from the cold. In the icy swamps along the coast, however, alligators have adapted to the cold snap in an ingenious way. They’re freezing themselves in place with their noses above the waterline.
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“Eighteen American alligators are thinking ahead, as they poke their noses up through the ice,” said George Howard, park manager of The Shallotte River Swamp Park in Ocean Isle Beach, in a video.
The alligators seem to sense cold weather is coming and physically get themselves in place and go into a state of brumation, which is much like hibernation, Howard told The Charlotte Observer. This is the second year in a row the alligators at the park have poked their noses above the frozen water line, he said, adding that they don’t react when disturbed in the water.
When the water temperature thaws out, so do they.
Here’s a video of the iced over alligators at The Swamp Park in Ocean Isle Beach, NC:
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Photo courtesy of George Howard , The Swamp Park, Ocean Isle Beach NC