Alligators shown ‘icing’ in frozen Oklahoma water. Here’s what that means
In freezing temperatures in southeastern Oklahoma, a group of alligators have to find someway to survive.
The alligators were recently seen in photos from Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s David Arbour lifting their snouts above the frozen surface of the cold water. It’s a technique called “icing” or “snorkeling,” and it helps the alligators breathe properly.
Alligators often do not encounter freezing temperatures, so the cold-blooded creatures will go into a hibernation-like behavior called brumation, according to Science Alert.
“It’s an interesting behavior because it’s opposite of what most crocodilians do,” retired ecologist James Perran Ross told Live Science. “The normal response of most other crocs when it gets really cold is to come out of the water and try to bask to get warm again.”
The alligators could freeze to death if they completely leave the water on a cold day, Ross added.
George Howard, park manager at The Swamp Park in Charlotte, said in 2019 that alligators can sense when the water is about to freeze and poke their snouts out “at just the right moment.”
The alligators stay awake while they brumate and will occasionally need to drink water, according to Accu Weather. Brumation allows the alligators to slow their heart rate and metabolism, entering a state of inactivity, Insanitek.net reported.
“In a very real sense, these alligators are allowing themselves to be frozen, trusting that they will be back to normal soon,” according to Insanitek. “Their heart rate, breathing, digestion, and metabolism all drastically slow while the alligators wait for warmer temperatures.”
Arbour wrote on Facebook the alligators from the Red Slough Wildlife Management Area will survive the freezing temperatures as they maintain an air hole so they can breathe.
The 5,814-acre wetland includes fish, mammals and reptiles and amphibians such as turtles, frogs and snakes.
This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Alligators shown ‘icing’ in frozen Oklahoma water. Here’s what that means."