OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C. — Video posted to YouTube shows alligators surviving frigid North Carolina waters by keeping their nostrils above the surface.
The Shallotte River Park Swamp posted a video to YouTube recently to show how the reptiles survive is such cold temperatures.
The video shows several alligators in the slushy, icy water with their nostrils in the air at the Ocean Isle Beach park.
George Howard, the manager of the park, told the Associated Press that 18 of the park’s American alligators froze in place Monday and remained like that into Tuesday.
The rescued alligators are fine – they’re cold-blooded and can regulate their own body temperature. They’re in a state called brumation, which is similar to hibernation.
Experts say the alligators instinctively know when water they’re in is about to freeze, so they stick out their noses at the right time to breathe.
The temperature at Ocean Isle Beach will see lows in the mid-30s early Friday morning and reach a high of around 50 degrees.