Alligators Find a Clever Way to Breathe During Bomb Cyclone

Animals

| January 10, 2018 | By Margo Gothelf

The freezing temperatures brought on by the bomb cyclone were no match for alligators in North Carolina.

The Shallotte River Swamp Park recently shared a video of an alligator poking its snout through a frozen pond. The video quickly went viral, with many people assuming that the gator would not survive the frigid temperatures.

However, the alligator specifically positioned itself in the water with its snout up in order to survive. According to the park, the alligators are able to sense when the water is about to freeze. Because of this, they are able to go into a lethargic-like state in order to survive.

“They poke their noses up and are able to breathe and be perfectly fine. [T]hey’re doing this as a mechanism so that if it freezes over, they can still breath,” George Howard, general manager of Shallotte River Swamp Park, told WECT 6. “[It’s] an absolute amazing survival technique. [T]hese guys were built tough millions of years ago and they remain tough today.”

Once the ice melted down, the gators were able to return to their normal state. The Shallotte River Swamp Park even posted a video showing the animals after the ice melted in the park’s alligator sanctuary.

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