MIAMI (AP) — Zoo Miami officials say an 18-year-old Komodo dragon named Khaos has died.
Zoo spokesman Ron Magill announced in a statement that the male lizard died Monday. The exact cause of death hasn’t yet been determined but Magill said the Khaos faced several health issues in recent years.
Khaos was one of 27 Komodo dragons that hatched from a clutch of 28 eggs at the zoo in 1998. The 7-foot-long, 150-pound lizard was hand-raised as an outreach animal. It traveled the country with Magill and even appeared once on CBS’ “Late Night with David Letterman.”
Magill says Khaos was calm and never showed aggression, contrary to the reputation Komodo dragons typically have.
Komodo dragons are earth’s largest lizard species. They’re considered endangered with about only 6,000 left in the wild.
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