OKLAHOMA – Extremely cold weather in South America makes up a number aligator died in the Red Slough Wildlife Management Area, a 5,800 acre (2,300 acre) sanctuary in southeastern Oklahoma. But the surviving adult alligators are known to do unusual things to survive the frozen river’s ice sheet.
A number of alligators can be seen sticking out their muzzles in the ice sheet of the frozen river. This behavior makes scientists interested in researching it because alligators are cold-blooded animals that usually bask in the sun. (Read: Avoiding cannibalism, male grasshoppers use new tricks when mating)
Jena Donnell, Wildlife Diversity Communications Specialist in Oklahoma said, the strange behavior of alligators is entirely to defend their lives from the extreme cold.
“Whenever the ice sheet opens, it’s a natural response aligator , “he told Live Science. Because the water that becomes their habitat freezes, they are forced to pull out their noses in order to take oxygen to breathe.
Alligators are cold-blooded, which means that their body temperature fluctuates with the temperature of the environment. That’s why alligators are often found basking in the sun to restore their condition.
When extreme cold temperatures reach freezing point, crocodiles do not bask on the edges because the air can be colder than water. Alligators often swim to the surface to get enough oxygen than they are sunbathing and trapped in the extreme cold. (Also read: NASA satellites reveal mysterious lines in the mountains of northern Russia)
“If the water is cold, but not yet frozen, aligator will often swim into deeper, warmer waters than shallow ones, says Donnell.
But not all alligators survive the cold in the Red Slough Wildlife Management Area, a 2,300-hectare sanctuary in southeastern Oklahoma run by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the US Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
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