Not long ago, a short video went viral, in which an American alligator (Alligator missisipensis, also known as a Mississippi alligator) was frozen in ice water, leaving only the two nostrils on the tip of his nose exposed on the ice, looking like a "crocodile popsicle".
A frozen crocodile, taken from the video
And in another state in the southern United States, Texas, someone also photographed the same "crocodile popsicle".
The same "crocodile popsicle" only leaves the nose to breathe on the ice, the picture is taken from the video
In this regard, netizens commented one after another, can you take the opportunity to touch the crocodile's nose? After all, the crocodile is usually so fierce, but now it is frozen, so you can't take this opportunity to bully the crocodile?
Of course, some netizens are more curious, are the crocodiles in these "crocodile popsicles" alive? If so, will they be bitten by the crocodile when they touch their noses? Some netizens are more concerned about these crocodiles, can they still recover their original state after thawing?
Below, let's take a look at "crocodile popsicles".
Can all crocodiles be turned into "crocodile popsicles"?
Not all crocodiles can experience the experience of "turning into a popsicle".
A frozen crocodile, taken from the video
First of all, the vast majority of crocodiles live in areas with a relatively warm climate, where the temperature is relatively high, crocodiles can move freely most of the time, and in winter crocodiles will climb to the shore to hibernate and are not easy to encounter frozen rivers and lakes, so most crocodiles do not have to worry about being made into popsicles.
There are two types of crocodiles that are more special, they are the Chinese alligator and the American alligator mentioned in the previous news. Both of these crocodiles belong to the family Alligatoridae, the genus Alligator.
Alligators are mainly found in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in our country, while American alligators are distributed in the southeastern part of the United States. Although these places are not as icy and snowy as in the north, in winter, the temperature can still drop below 10 degrees Celsius or even lower.
Crocodiles are cold-blooded and cannot maintain a constant body temperature, and when the body temperature is too low, they need to find a place to hibernate.
However, even for Chinese alligators and American alligators, it is not a common phenomenon to be "made into crocodile popsicles".
Female Chinese alligator hibernation, image source: Reference 3
Male alligator hibernating nest, Image source: Reference 3
According to a 2015 study, the temperature in the cave of the Chinese alligator is generally higher than the temperature at the entrance of the cave. The water temperature in the cave will be 1~2 degrees Celsius higher than the air temperature at the entrance of the cave, and the temperature of the silt in the cave will be 2~4 degrees Celsius higher than the temperature at the entrance of the cave.
So, even if the water starts to freeze, the temperature in the cave can still stay above freezing.
Image source: Ref. 3
The American alligator is similar, and they nest in the mud near the river to survive the winter. Only when there is really no place to nest will the crocodile reluctantly turn into a "crocodile popsicle".
For example, the "alligator popsicle" appeared in North Carolina's swamp park, which also explained that the alligators in the park were enclosed and protected, and they had no chance to nest in mud puddles, so they were forced to "make do" in the water.
It can be said that the "crocodile popsicle" is a crocodile's helpless move.
Do "crocodile popsicles" bite?
Now that the crocodiles have been frozen into popsicles, is it okay to pinch their noses casually? Theoretically, yes, but we don't recommend it.
Crocodiles are ectotherms, and their hibernation is not the same as that of black bears (homeotherms), which belong to mammals.
Let's talk about the hibernation of mammals first, the most typical representative animal is the black bear. During hibernation, the heart rate and number of breaths will drop sharply, and the metabolic level will also decrease, but they can be woken up at any time, so if you meet a "hibernating" bear, you should not touch their nose either.
After the temperature of ectotherms such as Chinese alligators and American alligators decreases, their heart rate, respiration, and metabolism will indeed weaken, their movements will become slow, and their reactions will become sluggish, but they are still awake. And when the weather is good, these two crocodiles will also crawl out to bask in the sun.
So if you touch their noses, they know it, but they just don't bother to talk to you (or they can't talk to you in the cold).
According to a 2003 study, alligators stop eating when temperatures drop below 16 degrees Celsius, so if you come across an alligator that is frozen in ice, it will most likely not attack you.
In addition, park managers have chiseled the ice around the "crocodile popsicle" and helped the crocodile move its mouth to prevent the ice from crushing and causing damage to the crocodile, and in the process, the crocodile showed no signs of attack.
It can be said that alligators during "hibernation" are very aggressive, and so far, there have been no reports of crocodiles attacking humans during hibernation, but this does not mean that they are not aggressive, so it is still not recommended that everyone "touch the fish" easily.
To be on the safe side, it's better not to touch it
In a 2015 study of the alligator, a relative of the American alligator, scientists found individual differences in the alligator's temper during hibernation.
In the study, it was found that the temper of the Yangtze crocodile in the Changxing Yangtze Alligator Nature Reserve in Zhejiang Province was not so good.
When the temperature drops below 5 degrees Celsius, the alligator is in a state of deep hibernation. If they are disturbed at this time, they will make a warning sound of "roar~roar~" and have obvious self-defense reactions, which is not wise to provoke them at this time.
Previous records of Anhui alligators show that the alligators here have their eyes closed when they are hibernating, and they do not respond even if they are disturbed.
So, we can't say that it's perfectly safe to run and disturb these crocodile popsicles. If you accidentally step on the ice and fall into the water, you will be so frightened that the alligator may bite you in self-defense.
There are risks associated with becoming a "crocodile popsicle".
Of course, getting your nose touched isn't a big deal for a crocodile.
For them, it is even more dangerous to be made into a "crocodile popsicle". Because after the crocodile becomes a "popsicle", it is possible that it will not wake up.
For example, in 1982, scientists studied two crocodiles that had turned into "popsicles." One of the crocodiles, which had been frozen in shallow water, died after being frozen for 3 days and did not recover.
During the period of being frozen, scientists have been monitoring the body temperature of the crocodile, and found that the body temperature dropped to 4~5 degrees Celsius is the limit of the American alligator, and if the body temperature continues to drop, the crocodile will also freeze to death.
To make sure they survive, crocodiles will also be prepared when they have a premonition that the water temperature will drop rapidly and they will soon become "crocodile popsicles".
For example, they will stick their noses out of the water to make sure they can breathe even if the water freezes over. In addition, crocodiles try to stick the lower part of their bodies to the mud at the bottom of the water, where the temperature is generally higher than the surface of the water.
Of course, the temperature in the place where the alligator is located is generally not particularly low, and even if the water surface freezes, the freezing time will not be very long, and the alligator still has a chance to recover. For example, in the image below, a frozen alligator in a swamp park in North Carolina is preparing to "break the ice."
The crocodile in "Breaking the Ice", the image is taken from the video
Finally, we wish every crocodile popsicle a successful awakening (and forget that someone has ever touched their nose).