THIS is the shocking moment an alligator was found stuck in a frozen lake as a bitter freeze struck across the Deep South.
A surprise wave of extremely rare freezing temperatures across the US South has even left predators frozen in their tracks.
The trapped alligator won’t be leaving its home on Cat Island, South Carolina, around 70 miles south of Charleston, anytime soon.
A shocking video showed how the predator was truly stopped in its tracks by this surprise weather.
The animal’s head – which had popped above the pond waters – appeared to not move an inch.
This worrisome clip also caught the patches of snow around the icy lake.
A weather station in Charleston captured just how incredibly cold the area had become.
About three inches of snow was reported in the area with temperatures reaching around 25 degrees (-3 celsius), significantly lower than the typical 60 degrees (15 celsius) for this season, according to FOX Weather.
An expert revealed that the creature’s condition in the video is a survival tactic.
Authorities in Beaufort, South Carolina stated, “With a substantial drop in temperatures, alligators may enter a state known as brumation, akin to hibernation.
“They slow down their metabolism and become lethargic, allowing them to conserve energy when food is scarce.
“During a severe freeze, they may protrude their noses above the water surface to breathe, while the remainder of their bodies become motionless in the frosty waters.”
A bitterly cold deep freeze has blanketed huge areas of the typically warm South.
More than 31 million Americans were put under a rare winter storm warning last week.
Areas from southern Texas across to Georgia and even up to Virginia were affected by unprecedented snow, sleet, and Arctic winds.
At least 10 people died from the brutal and surprise storms that gripped the vast region.
In South Texas, three people died from exposure to the bitter cold.
A car accident, caused by icy road conditions, killed five others, Uvalde County Constable Emmanuel Zamora said.
A 27-year-old woman was killed in Alabama after she lost control of her vehicle on a snow-covered road in Ozark, about 86 miles south of Montgomery.
In Pinckard, Alabama, a 37-year-old man was killed when his home went up in flames after he left his stove on trying to stay warm, the coroner’s office said.
Snowfall in certain areas broke records set back in the 1800s.
NWS Meteorologist Richard Bann said Tuesday’s snow in New Orleans could have broken a record set in 1895 when eight inches fell.
AccuWeather Meteorologist Tom Kines said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for a lot of these folks down there.”
“For kids that have never had snowball fights… they’re going to have one.”
States affected by the rare snowstorm
A once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm swept the southeast, blanketing the following states in several inches of snow:
- Texas
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- Florida
- Georgia
- South Carolina
- North Carolina
- Arkansas
Source: AccuWeather
