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FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) - A gopher tortoise described as the largest on record died from injuries suffered at a construction site, the Humane Society of the United States said Wednesday.
The creature's shell measured 16.41 inches long, more than an inch longer than the previous largest specimen on record, and it weighed more than 31 pounds. It was believed to be between 50 and 100 years old.
The tortoise was recently crushed by construction equipment in Fort Myers and buried in March, the Humane Society reported. Several days later, someone saw it emerge from the ground. It was treated and lived for about a month before dying Saturday, said Amanda Ebenhack, the Okeechobee wildlife rehabilitator who cared for it.
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