When you think about hibernation, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? More than likely, you think about Yogi Bear and how he and Boo-Boo would find their way into a cave to sleep during the long winter.
What if I were to tell you that there are many different animals that can hibernate, and this includes alligators? We might not think about it very often, as most alligators live in warmer parts of the world, but something happened in North Carolina recently that opened our eyes to something else.
Alligators are not like mammals that hibernate but they can go into a dormant state. When a Park Ranger noticed an alligator who was frozen in North Carolina recently, however, it showed us how possible it really was.
When alligators are exposed to temperatures down in the teens, they may turn into gatorcicles. This happened recently at the Shallotte River Swamp Park in Ocean Isle Beach, NC, and they have video to prove it.
Many families come to this park around the year to enjoy the activities, such as font bookstores and zip lines. You can even go on YouTube to watch the Gator Cam and the entire park is an Alligator Sanctuary.
As far as hibernation is concerned, there is a reptile variety that most people are not familiar with. It is a type of brumation as they go dormant when the temperature drops.
This snout will stay above the surface of the water to allow them to breathe. As the water freezes around the nose, it locks them in place until the water thaws again. Thankfully, they don’t stay frozen for a very long time since the climate is warmer in North Carolina.