BEAUMONT, Texas — Gator Country has been working overtime to keep their exotic animals from suffering in the harsh cold.
Right now the gators are staying below the water in a deep 'hibernative' state, according to Gator Country owner, Gary Saurage.
Staying underwater when temperatures drop is crucial to the gators' survival.
While Saurage says he lacks the telepathy to know exactly how his gators feel under the ice, he does know them well enough to say that these amazing animals know how to hold their own in the cold in a unique way.
"That animal figured out that 'If I just poked my nose through there, let hibernation take a hold, I'll just go into a trance.'," said Saurage.
Although Southeast Texans might not want to be in a frozen pond during an arctic blast, for the alligators at Gator Country it's a cozy bed.
"The American alligator is about the only animal here that doesn't have to have constant extreme heat," Saurage said. "When it gets cold like this, they can go down to three heartbeats per minute."
The gators can remain in icy waters for days and they'll even bundle close together for warmth, according to Saurage.
"They'll go under there. There'll be a whole bunch of them in there keeping warm together," he said.
You'll likely get a slow reaction if you're tempted to touch the gator's nose while they're hibernating.
"It'll take them a little bit to come out of that. You're talking about an animal that can barely move when it's this cold," said Saurage.
While Big Tex, Big Al and the rest of the gators are holding their own in the cold, animals like the South American crocodile need a helping hand.
"If the water temperature gets down to around fifty, we've got a problem because they just can't survive it," Saurage told 12News.
As the artic blast moves through Saurage and the rest of the Gator Country team will continue keeping their animals warm around the clock.
"The biggest nemesis we have is cold weather. You've got to take all your exotic animals inside. If the power goes down, you'd better have a backup source. Those guys keep an eye on it all night," said Saurage.
The park is closed while the gators stay underwater to survive the cold, but Gator Country plans to reopen Thursday, January 18.