Brumation

This alligator managed to survive, thanks to brumation—the ability for reptiles to slow down their bodily functions. The critter had been trapped in a drainage pipe in Hilton Head, SC for some six months. According to wildlife expert Matt Kraycar, brumation “is basically like hibernation for reptiles. So as it gets cooler, they're going to shut their body down. So by doing that, he doesn't really need to eat as much as he typically would during the summer, and I'm sure there were still fish and turtles coming through those pipes as well, so it didn't look like he was starving by any means.'