OCEAN ISLE BEACH, NORTH CAROLINA — A video released Monday shed light on the unique way alligators adapt to icy winter conditions. <br /> <br />The Charlotte Observer reports that in the video, alligators in Shallotte River Swamp Park in North Carolina were seemingly frozen inside a pond, with only their snouts visible above the ice. <br /> <br />Alligators are ectothermic, which means they don't generate their own body heat, and rely on the environment to regulate their internal temperature. Most gators live in temperate climates. But occasionally, a bomb cyclone brings in an icy winter and the scaly creatures have to deal. <br /> <br />When temperatures reach freezing, gators are known to stick their snouts out of the water before the surface ices over. <br /> <br />This allows them to continue breathing as they lower their body temperatures and metabolism, falling into a hibernating state in a process known as brumation. <br /> <br />Once it becomes warm and the water thaws, the cold-blooded animals will slowly begin thermoregulating their body temperatures. <br /> <br />Days after the frozen gator video made its rounds online, an update was posted showing the gators now out and about, though apparently still grumpy from their winter nap.
