Gomek Dead! All Hail King Superman!

Gomek, the largest reptile in the Western hemisphere, died on March 6, 1997. 17-feet, 9-inches long, Gomek had been the star of Florida's St. Augustine Alligator Farm since 1989.

Gomek, a salt water crocodile, will be back soon at St. Augustine, one of the nation's leading alligator attractions stuffed and displayed so that the children of a new millennium may see what we once did. But it won't be the same. On command, a living Gomek would come out of his pool and eat "pre-killed" nutria.

Over the past two years, some 90 of the attraction's 1,400 gators have succumbed to a mysterious mycoplasma bacteria (some call it Gator AIDS), but Gomek, who was estimated to be as much as 80 years old, had heart disease, which ultimately led to cardiac failure.

Quickly stepping into the breech was Billie Swamp Safari of Clewiston, FL, which on May 5th put out a press release announcing to the world that they now had the world's largest verifiable alligator -- Superman.

Seizing the opportunity, Safari director Tommy Taylor and his staff marched into the swamp to get Superman's measurements. After wrestling and flipping him, then closing his mouth with duct tape, they measured down his belly and came up with a length of 13 feet, 7 1/2 inches. His skull is 21 1/4 inches long.

Lynn Kirkland, reptile curator at St. Augustine Alligator Farm, notes "the largest wild crocodiles are saltwater crocodiles; individuals of over 23 feet have been recorded." According to the Guinness Book of World Records , the current king is Yai, a Saltwater/Siamese Crocodile hybrid, exhibited at the Samutprakarn Zoo in Thailand. Yai is listed as 19' 8". Harry J. Dutton, assistant leader of the Alligator Management Section of the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, says that the largest documented alligator in Florida was 14 feet, 1-inch long (one in Louisiana was recorded at 19' 2"). Superman is about 75 years old, and Taylor estimates he has another 25 years to beat the record.

A stuffed Gomek will easily surpass the stuffed Old Joe displayed at The Wakulla Springs Hotel in Wakulla Springs, FL (although Lynn Kirkland points out that we are comparing Gomek, a salt water crocodile, with Joe, an American Alligator). An official state highway marker at the Hotel reads: "OLD JOE Legendary reptile established homestead at Wakulla Springs prior to any construction in the area. Estimated age around 300 years. Weight 650 lbs., length 11 foot 2 inches. Lived in springs on sand across from swimming area. Was murdered by assailant unknown on Sunday night, Aug 1, 1966. Had never molested man, woman, child or pets." We hope the highway commission will see its way clear to erect a similar tribute for Gomek. [6/28/97]