Gators Survive Just Fine In Frozen Over Ponds During Cold Wave

An alligator frozen into an icy pond. Despite appearances,
the alligator was just fine once the ice thawed. 

 One of the many pleasures of living in Vermont is, when you decide to take a nice dip in a pond or lake, or in the winter, go skating on it,  an alligator won't bother you. 

Here's something that gave me just a little bit of pause, however.

It involves alligators in a pond that froze over in Texas during a relatively intense cold wave earlier this month,  There were alligators in that pond. And it turns out, they did just fine. 

Which is worrying, because it makes me wonder whether  alligators can survive our climate changed warmer winters in Vermont just fine. 

Not really, but still. 

The local NBC affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth gives us the scoop: 

"An alligator was seen in a recent TikTok video poking its nose through the ice in a frozen pond at Gator Country, a wildlife rescue center in Beaumont, Texas.

Yes, the gator is still very much alive. It can't regulate its temperature so it survives the icy conditions by going into a state of brumation. Think of it as the hibernation equivalent for cold-blooded reptiles."

The gatos push their noses above the ice so they can still breathe even when the pond is frozen over. As long as their snouts are above water they do just fine. 

Well, I suppose the good news during icy cold waves is the alligator is so lethargic its less likely to regard you as lunch. 

News of other frozen alligators (gatorcicles?") surfaced in North Carolina. Those gators did fine, also, when temperatures warmed in the 70s late last week. 

Video: News video of the frozen alligators. The bonus is how fun the dude is who explains the whole thing to us. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that.