00:00When extreme cold hits, some animals rely on survival strategies that push biology to the limit to stay alive.
00:07Take alligators.
00:08In freezing conditions, they can survive icy ponds by keeping their snouts above the surface,
00:12creating breathing holes even when the water around them freezes solid.
00:16Freshwater turtles take cold survival even further.
00:19Some species can survive months underwater without oxygen,
00:23slowing their metabolism to near zero until warmer temperatures return.
00:26In Florida, cold snaps can bring a different kind of surprise.
00:30Iguanas are cold-blooded, and when the temperature drops too quickly, so can they.
00:34Iguanas can become temporarily stunned, sometimes losing muscle control and falling from trees.
00:39They're not dead, just cold, like you.
00:42And in the ocean, some animals rely on chemistry to beat the freeze.
00:46Certain sharks and cold-water fish produce natural antifreeze proteins in their blood,
00:50preventing ice crystals from forming and allowing them to survive frigid waters.
00:54From slowing their own bodies to a crawl, to breathing through ice, to making their own antifreeze,
00:59these animals show just how extreme survival can get when temperatures plunge.
01:04For AccuWeather, I'm meteorologist Tony Lawback.
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