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North Carolina alligators survive in frozen swamp at Shallotte River Swamp Park

Posted at 6:55 AM, Jan 09, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-09 06:56:09-05

With the brutally cold temperatures affecting a good portion of the country, many people and animals are struggling to stay warm -- including alligators.

However, their method of staying warm and surviving is a sight you have to see to believe.

Video shows water at North Carolina's Shallotte River Swamp Park in Ocean Isle Beach is frozen over.

But if you look closely, you can see an alligator's snout poking through the ice so it can breathe!

The alligators are in a state of hibernation in the ice.

The park's general manager George Howard said the alligators' form of hibernation is called brumation. 

The reptiles will lower their body temperatures and metabolism so they can survive the frigid weather.

When temperatures warm up and the ice melts, the alligators will then start thermoregulating their body temperatures.