Winter is a spooky time in Georgia’s black water swamps, and one of the strangest sights is the common large shadows. lurks just a few centimeters below turbid surface.
Experts warn never to try to reach out to them.
These phantoms are alligators taking part in a seasonal ritual of taking a nap in the water, according to the University of Georgia. Coastal Ecology Laboratory
“Although we often see alligators lazily basking in the sun and enjoying an afternoon nap, this is not how they sleep when the sun is not shining,” the lab reports.
“Most of the time, alligators sleep in cool water in the summer and warm water in the winter.”
The lab recently captured an image of an alligator (named Sully) sleeping under the ominous waters of Georgia’s Okefenokee Wetland Park. Creepy photos show that only a vague outline of the head is occasionally visible.
“She’s so deep in the water that she’s resting on the bottom, so you can barely see her,” the lab reported. “This is where crocodiles sleep most often. It’s the bottom of the swamp.”
an alligator that can grow into 16 feet in Georgia, It stays underwater for as long as two hours before surfacing, sticking its nose out for a ‘short breath’. After that, they sink to the bottom again and go to sleep again, reports the lab.
This form of nap gives alligators a chance to stay warm, hidden and undisturbed.
But it also means they are more likely to paddle. Worse, if someone gets off the boat in the wrong place, they are more likely to be trampled.
“It’s so easy to paddling like that and passing right by!” William Wise Posted on the lab’s Facebook page. “Sometimes I get ‘that feeling’ and happen to find myself under Blackwater.”
“So do we,” Lab replied.
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