Parts of the United States have been gripped by a blast of frigid winter weather in early 2024, with plunging temperatures and ice affecting Americans up and down the East Coast. But it’s not just humans having to endure the cold snap – alligators in North Carolina have been photographed seemingly frozen in ice.
The alligators reside in a sanctuary pond at The Swamp Park in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. As nighttime temperatures in the area continue to drop well below freezing, the cold-blooded reptiles have had no choice but to stay in the water, where they become fixed in place as ice forms around them.
On January 21st, The Swamp Park shared remarkable photos on social media of one of their alligators encased in a coating of ice, describing the animal as a “reptilian ice sculpture.” In their post, they spoke about the alligators’ resilience in the face of adversity. “The key to life is adaptation. Who better to show this than the American alligator?” they wrote.
In subsequent updates, the park explained the special technique the alligators use to survive being frozen in the icy water. When temperatures fall low enough to cause surface ice to form, the alligators enter a state called brumation. They position themselves with just their snouts sticking out above the water, allowing them to breathe while the rest of their bodies remain immobilized in the frozen pond.
“They are in full brumation right now. Alligators do not hibernate; they brumate. And you can see they even have their eyelids closed as a means of protection,” a park employee elucidated in a video post.
Remarkably, within 24 hours as conditions warmed slightly, the frozen gators had begun thawing out and breaking free from the ice encasing them.
According to George Howard, General Manager of The Swamp Park, brumation is a survival adaptation that alligators employ to cope with frigid weather. “This does not happen often,” he told Live Science in 2019 when the park’s gators experienced similar icy conditions.
“They do this as a survival technique – a coping mechanism to allow them to breathe in the event the water freezes over,” Howard explained. This time of year, they are in a process called ‘brumation,’ kind of like hibernation except they are fully aware. They lower their metabolism to survive the cold. They don’t eat for a few months, until the temps get up to 70 [degrees Fahrenheit] and above.”
So while plunging temperatures may turn gators in North Carolina into reptilian popsicles, their cousins dwelling in the balmy Everglades likely don’t have to worry about being frozen solid. The alligators’ ability to essentially shut down their metabolism and survive for months with no food highlights the remarkable resilience of these ancient creatures.
The bizarre phenomenon of frozen alligators serves as a striking visual example of how wildlife can adapt to extreme weather events. And for the staff at The Swamp Park, it provides an opportunity to educate people about the secret lives of these misunderstood reptiles. The dramatic photos certainly grab attention, ultimately shining a light on the unique biology that allows alligators to thrive in the Southeastern U.S. despite sometimes inhospitable conditions.
