All alligators bask, smaller ones most frequently. They hunt and feed at night. In winter, they bury themselves in mud, go into deep burrows or remain resting underwater with their nostrils above water and their breath keeping an air hole in the ice. Alligators can withstand cold better than crocodiles. American Alligators are the best vocalizers of the crocodilians.
Adults have a throaty, bellowing roar with great carrying power.
When alligators congregate in breeding groups in early spring, bellowing choruses can last from ten minutes to half an hour. Low growls are used during aggressive interactions. All sizes hiss when approached by an intruder. Female grunts like a pig in calling her young. Hatchlings and juveniles use a variety of grunts in many social situations.