How are alligators surviving the bitterly cold weather in Texas?
An alligator was seen in a recent TikTok video poking its nose through the ice of a frozen pond at Gator Country, a wildlife rescue center in Beaumont, Texas.
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Yes, the gator is still very much alive. It can't regulate its temperature, so it survives the icy conditions by going into a state of brumation. Think of it as the hibernation equivalent for cold-blooded reptiles.
"We all know what alligators do during the summer and spring, but what do they do in the winter and how do they survive?" Gator Country owner Gary Saurage said in the video.
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Gators push their noses above the ice so they can continue to breathe even when the water freezes.
"Look right down you can see the entire body of the alligator pushed snout up through so he can get oxygen and breathe," Saurage said. "Folks, that's amazing! That's how alligators survive in the ice."
NBC DFW Meteorologist Samantha Davies said the temps were in the 30s and 40s last week in Beaumont.
