Hibernating Alligators Have to Poke Through Carolina Ice to Breathe

Residents in North Carolina are getting a front row seat to alligators on ice.

Following an arctic blast, Shallotte River Swamp Park shared footage on Jan. 7 of how their rescued alligators are surviving the bitter cold.

"Just hanging out in the water there. You can see it melting around the nostrils there," George Howard says in the video, showing close ups of the alligators' snouts sticking through the ice. "Pretty amazing…Look at those teeth…This is the time of year when they are just hanging out and waiting for it to get warm."

On Tuesday, the animal sanctuary posted a second update, showing the ice beginning to thaw.

"Here we are, folks. The great thaw! Alligators be free," Howard says in the video. "They're already out sunbathing," he continues, showing the once ice encased alligators on land bathing in the sun.

According to the Shallotte River Swamp Park's blog, when temperatures dip below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, alligators enter a state known as brumation, in which the reptile's metabolism slows down and they go in a lethargic state. Since they require air to survive, the alligators will stick their snouts above the water at just the right time to allow the water to freeze around them.