Frozen alligators in brominated/wfaa condition
Animals have a whole range of means to help them survive the freezing cold of winter - from thick fur and warm caves to simply a deep sleep called hibernation.
Alligators may not be the first creatures that come to mind when you think of animals in need of cold survival mechanisms, but a slew of viral videos reveal that they certainly are.
Their method of survival in the frosty conditions is actually freezing - right next to the edge of the lake.
But don't let that tempt you to approach these popsicles: they're not completely old.
When temperatures drop below freezing, alligators enter a state of hibernation known as bromation.
Alligators in North Carolina and Texas survive the cold by soaking their bodies in lake water, where they allow the water to freeze around them, with only their snouts and front teeth poking through the ice, allowing them to breathe while they wait for summer to come.
According to the experts at the South Carolina Aquarium, during the bromination process in alligators and other reptiles, the body temperature drops and the heart rate and metabolism slow down.
Since these animals are cold-blooded and require heat from the sun for their metabolism, if the temperatures get too cold - they may die.
Check out the amazing documentation:
@gatorcountrytx #alligatorsoftiktok #gatorcountrybmt #hibernation #fyp #garysurage ♬ God's Country - State of Mine & Drew Jacobs
This period of bromation usually lasts four or five months and allows the alligators to survive until spring and the rising temperatures.
It's quite similar to the hibernation known to mammals (especially the bears), except that these reptiles will continue to drink while they are frozen and they are not actually in a state of deep sleep.
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More breathtaking examples:
@2guysandsomeland The Swamp Puppies are FROZEN?
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#foryou #alligator #swamp #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen ♬ original sound - TwoGuysandSomeLand
A number of alligators have been documented frozen in giant ice cubes at "The Swamp Park," a tourist attraction and alligator sanctuary near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.
Another alligator was found frozen in a frozen pond at the Gator Country Rescue Center in Beaumont, Texas.
Both states experienced drops in temperatures tk below minus 2 degrees Celsius last week, with a cold snap of minus 8 degrees Celsius recorded in North Carolina.
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The TikTok account 2guysandsomeland shared a video of baby alligators frozen in their habitat and another TikTok video taken in Gator Country over the weekend shows an alligator lying motionless in a murky pool with its snout sticking out below the frozen surface.
"He stuck his nose up through the ice to breathe," Gary Sauraj, owner of the rescue center, said in the video.
"When it gets so cold that the water freezes, alligators instinctively tilt their nose up so it sticks out of the water to prevent them from suffocating," he added.
During bromation, the alligator's heart can slow down to three beats per minute, Sauraj said in the video, adding: "Guys, it's amazing. This is how alligators survive the winter."
More on the same topic:
Alligators
Hibernation
winter
North Carolina
Texas