Frozen alligators wow internet in eerie snaps of "brumation"

Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina - The Swamp Park Outdoor Adventure Center in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, shared some creepy pics of its alligators frozen solid. These eerie shots show how these animals cope with the cold, and it's fascinating!

Alligators go into a special state and stick their snouts out when temps drop below freezing.
Alligators go into a special state and stick their snouts out when temps drop below freezing.  © Collage: Screenshot/Facebook/The Swamp Park

When The Swamp Park Outdoor Adventure Center and its employees posted videos of their alligators suspended in ice last weekend, the posts captured the attention of the internet.

Users couldn't take their eyes off the 9-foot-long alligators that were frozen solid. Though the animals appear dead, they're not. These cold-blooded crocs are just coping with the freezing temps in their own way.

"We have the alligators doing what they do — doing an amazing job at protecting themselves by sticking their noses up out of the water in the evening, allowing for the water to freeze around themselves, but still allowing themselves the ability to breathe,” park manager George Howard said in a video posted to Facebook.

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Alligators instinctively know when the cold is coming and stick their snouts out of the water! Unlike mammals, alligators don't go into hibernation, but when temperatures drop, these critters go into a dormant state called brumation.

Howard explained the state by saying its basically a "state of reduced metabolism."

This alligator is frozen solid, but its snout is above the ice.
This alligator is frozen solid, but its snout is above the ice.  © Screenshot/Facebook/Swamp Park

Once these "gator-cicles" thaw out, they get moving

Frozen crocodiles, or "gator-cicles," only stay put while it's too cold to move. As soon as the temps climb, the critters warm up and start moving.

The organization and one TikToker and Swamp Park employee shared clips of the gators "thawing" out. The crocs sink back down into the water as the ice melts and blow bubbles.

Seeing these animals slowly regain movement and break through the ice is wild!

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshot/Facebook/The Swamp Park

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