Okefenokee Joe is Gone

Tweet

The Okefenokee Swamp spans the Georgia-Florida borders, about 430,000 acres worth of swampland. One of the swamp's most famous(or infamous)inhabitants, until recently, was a 400 pound, 11-foot long alligator locals called Okefenokee Joe. Georgia's Coastal Ecology Lab says he has died of old age. Although his exact age is unknown alligators can live to be approximately 80 years old. Okefenokee Joe had scar tissue over both eyes and his scutes(thickened horny or bony plate on the back of turtles and alligators) were worn almost completely smooth. He had been tracked by GPS and the lab had not gotten any points from him in weeks. The GPS tag was found after several weeks of searching and he was then pronounced dead. It is said he had lived in the swamp since World War II.