American Alligators Enter a Bear-like Hibernation

Due to the severe frost that hit the southern United States earlier this week, a group of alligators in a wildlife park in North Carolina found themselves forced to adapt to a difficult and unusual situation, as their bodies became covered with a layer of ice, leaving them able to breathe only through their snouts protruding above the ice. The Swamp Park in Ocean Isle Beach offers visitors the chance to get close to the alligators and observe them. In recent days, the animals, which the park's team referred to on social media as "frozen alligators," created a striking sight. The alligators rested their snouts above the surface of the frozen swamps and ceased movement, entering a state similar to hibernation observed in certain other animals, such as bears and some mammals, to survive the cold weather. One park employee commented in a video posted on the park's Facebook page, "We have alligators in the ice... welcome to 2024." This breed of alligator cannot withstand the colder winters typical of areas north of North Carolina. Like all reptiles, alligators are cold-blooded, meaning their bodies cannot generate heat on their own and instead rely on the external environment for warmth.