"Surviving the Freeze: Alligators Found Submerged in Frozen Waters of North Carolina and Texas"

Photos and videos of frozen alligators in North Carolina and Texas have sparked fear and amazement online, but experts assure that the reptiles are not dead – they are simply using a survival instinct called brumation to endure the cold temperatures. Brumation is the reptilian equivalent of mammal hibernation, during which alligators become lethargic and have a slowed metabolic rate. This phenomenon allows them to survive in the cold without suffocating, and they rely on the environment to regulate their body temperature.