Texas alligator stuns viewers with its stealthy, slippery moves

Alligators are known as stealth creatures.

And a video shared recently on Facebook by Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Austwell, Texas, offers a stunning case in point.

Entering shallow water filled with bright green duckweed, a lone alligator can be seen slowly submerging into the plants.

He covertly makes his way forward, turning at a slow and steady pace.

He eventually submerges himself almost completely.

Soon, he is virtually indistinguishable from the rest of his green, watery environment.

“An American alligator wades through shallow water covered in duckweed, eventually becoming almost completely camouflaged in green,” the post reads.

The post currently has been shared at least 1K times and has over 6K reactions to date.

“Awesome video, love how they use their environment to stay cool and hide,” said one commenter.

Another noted simply, “Lizard bubble bath.”

An alligator has a “sneaky maneuverability” that is all the more impressive because it can “pull it off without moving its legs or tail,” noted National Geographic.

These creatures “use their lungs like floats and shift them about their torso using four sets of muscles,” explained the outlet. 

“If the lungs are pulled back toward the tail, the animal’s center of buoyancy shifts backwards and it dives,” the outlet continued.

It also said, “[And] if they are shoved towards the head, it rises; push them to the side and you get a roll.”

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is located along the Texas Gulf Coast, about 78 miles northeast of Corpus Christi, according to its website.

It offers walking trails and “stunning views of the bay and wildlife habitat.”

To learn more, watch the video at the top of this article.