Alligators are ectothermic — they rely on external sources of heat to regulate their body temperature.
Alligators control their body temperature by basking in the sun, or moving to areas with warmer or cooler air or water temperatures. Alligators are most active when temperatures are between 82 to 92 degrees. They stop feeding when the ambient temperature drops below approximately 70 degrees and they become dormant below 55 degrees, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Alligators are dormant throughout much of the winter season. During this time, they can be found in burrows (or “dens”) that they construct adjacent to an alligator hole or open water, but they occasionally emerge to bask in the sun during spells of warm weather.
