ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Zoo's first Komodo dragon in 12 years is ready to meet his fans.

Charlie, a 6-year-old Komodo dragon, arrived at the zoo last week and will make his public debut during the ticketed event Boo at the Zoo, which runs evenings from Oct. 16-19. He can be seen during regular zoo hours beginning Oct. 20.

Komodo dragons are the world's largest lizards — Charlie is 6 feet long. They are native to five islands in Indonesia and, being cold-blooded, spend much of their time soaking up the sun.

Charlie is the first resident of the zoo's new Charles H. Hoessle Herpetarium, which is designed to have five different spots for warming. These locations, including heated rocks and UV lamps, will be on timers, encouraging him to move about the habitat and promote exercise.

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