'The Great Thaw:' Frozen alligators thaw out as temperatures rise

OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C. - Alligators in the frozen waters of the Shallotte River Swamp Park in North Carolina are thawing out in the climbing temperatures. 

The alligators were captured on video over the weekend in the icy waters surviving the freeze by sticking their snouts out of the water.

RELATED: Alligators, encased in ice, endure North Carolina's cold snap

The park wrote that the cold-blooded reptiles can endure in the freezing temperatures by slowing their metabolism down in a hibernation-like process called 'brumation.'

Now that the cold weather has moved through and the temperatures have risen, the alligators were out and about, sunning themselves on the banks, while park workers checked on them to make sure they were healthy. 

"Alligators be free!" posted the park on Twitter, along with the video.