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Breathtaking video shows group of alligators surviving frozen NC river

"They all seem to be doing fairly well," said an expert who was observing these alligators.
Photo via Shallotte River Swamp Park's public Facebook page.

Brunswick County, N.C. -- It's a video you'll have to see to believe.

As families across the country do everything they can to keep loved ones and their pets warm during the harsh winter weather, a group of alligators in Brunswick County is using a unique technique to survive the frozen outdoors.

Shallotte River Swamp Park in Ocean Isle Beach shared a breathtaking video showing the park's alligators with their nostrils poking through the ice.

"They seem to be doing fairly well," said an expert from the park who was watching the alligators poke their noses out of the frozen river.

Experts from the Shallotte River Swamp Park explained how it's all possible. In a blog post, experts explained that alligators can live in water temperatures as low as 40 degrees. When the water or air temperatures are too low for them to be active, experts say these reptiles go into a "state of brumation."

"This is where a reptile's metabolism slows down dramatically and will go into a lethargic state," experts say in the blog. "Often during this time, an alligator will stay at the bottom of a body of water. An alligator can hold its breath underwater for 1 to 24 hours."

If they need to breathe, the alligators can poke their nostrils right above the water.

For more videos and information on how alligators and other animals from the Shallotte River Swamp Park brave through the bone-chilling cold, you can click here.

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