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Bob, the 175-pound turtle at the Denver Zoo, has died

He spent a lot of time motionless (which is normal for the species) at the bottom of his tank, prompting many guests to ask if he was even real.

DENVER — Bob, a 175-pound alligator snapping turtle who's called the Denver Zoo home for 27 years, has died. 

The Denver Zoo said Bob came to live in Tropical Discovery in 1992 after being rehabilitated at the Houston Zoo. Bob was found living in the Galveston Bay three years earlier, a habitat not suited for the freshwater species.

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Bob was one of the first reptiles to call Tropical Discovery home, the zoo said. He spent a lot of time motionless (which is normal for the species) at the bottom of his tank, prompting many guests to ask if he was even real.

Since Bob came from the wild, Tropical Discovery keepers could only estimate his age, the zoo said. But based on his size when he arrived in 1992, they believe he was more than 60 years old. 

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