Photo: Coastal Ecology Lab
Okefenokee Joe, an extremely large alligator believed to have been alive during World War II, has died.
Georgia's Coastal Ecology Lab confirmed the 11-and-a-half-foot alligator had died of old age and was part of a satellite tag program.
"Okefenokee Joe, one of the alligators in our satellite tag study, has passed away due to old age," the lab wrote in a post shared on its Facebook account. "Okefenokee Joe was revered as the dominant male #alligator in the Park for a while. He surely spread his love and seed throughout his expansive territory in the Okefenokee Swamp Park. If not for the satellite tag he was wearing, we probably would be left wondering where this animal had gone or if he was still alive."
The lab said the alligator's age was unknown, but he was believed to be "a very old" due to scar tissue over both eyes and his scutes were worn almost smooth."
"Alligators can live to be approximately 80 years old though so it is possible he was close to that," the lab added.
Joe was last tracked by a GPA on July 20 and the lab initially thought his tag had fallen off, as it hadn't received any GPS points from him in several weeks.
The satellite tag was later found and the lab confirmed the celebrated alligator's death.
Joe is estimated to have measured at 11-and-a-half feet and weigh more than 400 pounds, according to a Facebook post shared by Coastal Ecology Lab in December 2020.