A blast of cold lets gators show off a special skill to survive icy weather

The recent cold snap has given alligators a chance to show how they cope with freezing temperatures.

The Swamp Park Outdoor Adventure Center in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, posted eerie videos to social media on Sunday showing alligators hanging in frozen ponds, with only the tips of their snouts above the ice.

In one video, assistant manager Scott Perry got up close to one of the frozen “swamp puppies” as he reached out to “boo” the nose of a motionless alligator, warning viewers, “Don’t do this at home.”

“Never in my life did I think I would do that,” Perry said.

The park has 12 alligators that state authorities have determined cannot return to the wild, often because they have been fed by humans, general manager George Howard said by phone Tuesday. He was excited to see the phenomenon this weekend and said it had been a few years since it last happened in the park.

The cold-blooded animals can’t regulate their own temperature, so when temperatures drop, they go into a state called hibernation to survive, Howard said. The alligators can protect themselves by sticking their noses out of the water so they can continue breathing as the water around them freezes, he said.

“Eyes closed and only the nostrils sticking out of the water, just enough to breathe,” Howard said in a video showing an alligator he estimated at 8 to 10 feet (2.74 to 3.05 meters) long. “The whole body is under water. Pretty fantastic.”

But it didn’t last long. By Tuesday, temperatures had risen and Howard said the alligators were back to normal.

Gator Country in Beaumont, Texas, posted a video last week showing an alligator with its snout sticking out of the ice.

‘Look here. You can see the alligator’s entire body, but most importantly, look at its snout. He has pushed his snout up so he can get oxygen and breathe,” said owner Gary Saurage. “Folks, that’s great! This is how alligators survive in the ice.”