Alligators Survive Frozen Ponds Using Brumation Technique

Reptiles in North Carolina and Texas Seen Submerged Under Ice, Breathing Through Snouts

Alligators in North Carolina and Texas have been spotted submerged under ice, with just their snouts poking out to breathe, a survival technique known as brumation.
Brumation is a state of inactivity prompted by low temperatures, similar to hibernation in mammals, but reptiles in brumation occasionally stir their body to drink water and go without food for months.
During brumation, alligators instinctively tilt their nose up, to the point where it's out of the water, so they don't suffocate.
Alligators in brumation become lethargic and have a slowed metabolic rate.
Brumation behaviors greatly depend on how extreme and long the cold temperatures persist in the environment.