North Carolina is the northernmost range of the American alligator, due to the extreme cold experienced in states farther north. In the coastal North Carolina town of Ocean Isle Beach, photos were taken of alligators suspended under a layer of ice, with only their nostrils breaking the surface.
The cold, winter temperatures froze waterways in The Swamp Park, a recreational area at Ocean Isle Beach, NC home to animals such as alligators. Temperatures fell to 17 degrees.
According to George Howard, general manager of The Swamp Park, the alligator was in a state of brumation. Brumation is a state of dormancy that alligators and other cold-blooded reptiles experience when temperatures drop.
Brumation may seem similar to hibernation but involves more activity. Brumating animals may wake up repeatedly to drink water and bask in the sun whereas hibernation involves animals remaining in a deep sleep. The park’s alligators instinctively knew when the water was about to freeze. They positioned themselves at just the right moment, closed their eyes, and allowed the water to harden around them.