Where do SC alligators go during cold winter weather? Closer than you may think

If you’re wondering where the alligators went: two words. Mud holes.

And they’re not far away.

The professionals call these places gator holes, which the animals dig primarily with their tails.

The holes can be 65 feet long, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo, and gators use them to escape both heat and cold.

Gators go into what’s called brumation, in some ways similar to hibernation, which is when mammals go into a deep sleep, but alligators are not deep sleepers.

In fact, when the weather gets warmer they might come out of their hole and bask in the sun. Alligators are cold blooded so they rely on the environment to keep them warm.

They get warm thanks to scutes — bone plates that act as a heat conductor — on their backs that contain blood vessels that warm up the body.

“When an alligator gets too warm while basking, it will open its mouth to dispel the heat,” the South Carolina Aquarium says on its website.

So don’t think they’re coming after you.

It will be a while before you start seeing the usual number of alligators hanging around. Brumation usually lasts from November until late February.

Their range in South Carolina is from the coast to the western borders of Lancaster, Kershaw, Richland, Lexington and Aiken counties.

Most often we hear about the extreme examples of alligator behavior, attacking people and pets, but the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources wants people to know about the benefits.

They have rebounded from being hunted into near extinction in the 1800s, due to federal laws protecting them.

They are considered a keystone species, one that alters the environment and affects other species relative to their numbers.

“Alligators create trails, holes, and nests that provide habitat for birds, reptiles, and other species,” SC DNR says on its website. “During dry periods, alligator holes are often the only water source for wildlife in an area.”

In addition, breeding birds nest over areas where alligators live because alligators keep other predators away. One caveat, they eat the chicks that fall out of the nests.

This story was originally published December 10, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Where do SC alligators go during cold winter weather? Closer than you may think."