The alligators of Oklahoma had a cunning fast one up their sleeves when a cold breeze collide with the US southern states last calendar month . As cold - blooded reptiles , they may not like the freezing conditions , preferring to relish on the banks of river and lake in the sunshine . However , in this casing , they have adapted by embracing the theme of becoming toothsome ice lolly for a few twenty-four hour period to survive .
" snorkel diving " alligatorswere spotted in a frozen lake at the Red Slough Wildlife Management Area in McCurtain County , Oklahoma in February , spark topical anesthetic to wonder about this singular deal . Officials at the wildlife resort , managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation , the US Forest Service , and the Natural Resources Conservation Service have see to it people this is quite normal behaviour – and a clever survival proficiency .
During this clip of class in America , alligators are in a process ofbrumation – similar to hibernation , but where they are aware . Because they are cold - blooded , they can not regularise their own body temperature , so bet on the temperature around them . To deal with the cold , they glower their metabolism , allow the ' gators to lie and go without food for months . However , if they get too stale they can die .
Some alligator will lay low in dens and tunnel to brumate , but there is a danger of lake freezing over and the alligator getting trammel . So instead , some swim to the surface and perplex their snout out , see a steady supply of oxygen when the surface freeze .
They can detain like this with their snoots sticking out from hr to days .
break in through the ice to make their air hole does not hurt the alligators ' snout as they are made ofcartilage , which also means they do n’t get damage being exposed to the freezing air .
freeze down condition are n’t unusual in Oklahoma , with around three months of the year murder 0 ° C ( 32 ° F ) , so this hatful is n’t completely unexpected . Alligators have been discern using this survival proficiency inNorth Carolinatoo . They can exist in frozen water like this for a few days but it ’s not idealistic .
Although alligators are ruffianly – they essentially have n’t changed for millions of years – not all of the one seen at the Red Slough Wildlife Management Area hold out , according toLive Science . Though it ’s thought most of the adults lived , some of the new ones decease , in all likelihood due to not being able to keep their eubstance temperature from plummeting .
Now that temperatures in Oklahoma are back up it ’s unbelievable to see any more of these gator popsicles , but it ’s a fascinating glimpse into animate being adaptations and selection while it last .
