Oklahoma alligators frozen in water with snouts sticking out

A number of alligators in southeastern Oklahoma were caught on camera sticking their snouts out of water amid the deep freeze by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s David Arbour.

The images showed lifting their snouts above the waterline with the lake having frozen all around them.

While initially, the images caused commenters to worry for the welfare of the chilly reptiles, Mr Arbour and experts have assured that the behaviour, often called “icing” or “snorkeling”, is natural.

The phenomenon, also called brumation, allows the alligator to slow down their heart rate and metabolism during cold temperatures below the water while still maintaining the ability to breathe.

"It’s an interesting behavior because it’s opposite of what most crocodilians do," James Perran Ross, a retired associate scientist of wildlife ecology and conservation at the University of Florida told LiveScience in 2018.

He added: "The normal response of most other crocs when it gets really cold is to come out of the water and try to bask to get warm again."

Mr Ross explained that since the air is usually colder than the water itself if alligators completely left the water they could freeze to death.