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Two-Headed / Bicephalic Snakes

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Anonymous

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Not so sure where to post this.
Its a cute small two headed snake.

story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=996&e=2&u=/021017/170/2gp25.html
Link is dead. No archived version found.

A two-headed 'Macroprotodon Cucullatus' snake is displayed after it was found by workers in a hotel garden on the Mediterrannean island of Palma de Mallorca, October 17, 2002. This kind of snake reaches a length of 60-70 centimeters and its bite is not lethal for human beings. REUTERS/Dani Cardona

NOTE: See later post for a photo of this particular snake (from a different source).
 
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Aaaaah, isn't it sweet...

Apparently two-headed snakes are quite rare, but they wouldn't survive long in the wild anyway. It seems the two heads just can't often agree on what to do. See this interesting article:

Life Is Confusing For Two-Headed Snakes

Life is hard enough for a snake with one head. The addition of another head makes for a confusing time for some snakes.

THE TWO-HEADED MONSTERS of myth may have a basis in reality. Two-headed snakes are rare but not unheard of, and one recently found in Spain is giving scientists an opportunity to study how the anomaly affects their ability to hunt and mate.

"We hear of one every several years," said Gordon Burghardt, a herpetologist at the University of Tennessee who has studied several two-headed snakes.

The snake in Spain, discovered near the village of Pinoso, is a two-month-old non-venomous ladder snake Elaphe scalaris. It is about eight inches (20 centimeters) long.

It's probably lucky it was captured—its chances of surviving in the wild are nil, said Burghardt.

"Just watching them feed, often fighting over which head will swallow the prey, shows that feeding takes a good deal of time, during which they would be highly vulnerable to predators," said Burghardt. "They also have a great deal of difficulty deciding which direction to go, and if they had to respond to an attack quickly they would just not be capable of it."

And that's assuming that both heads are hungry at the same time, and both are interested in pursuing the same prey. ...

"Having two heads would be a hindrance in the wild," agreed James Badman of Arizona State University. "It would be much harder to catch prey." Arizona State was home to a two-headed king snake that was found as a baby. It lived for nearly 17 years in captivity at the university.

Even in captivity, there are problems. Snakes operate a good deal by smell, and if one head catches the scent of prey on the other's head, it will attack and try to swallow the second head. ...
Click to expand...

FULL STORY: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2002/03/news-two-headed-snakes-confusing/



Finally for pedants like me, you could argue that it's not a two-headed snake, but rather, two snakes sharing one body. It happens with other animals too.

Regards,
Bill Robinson
 
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So what happens to these animals if they are born in captivity? Are they left to live an odd and confusing life or put down?
Imagine wanting to go one way and your body going another. Weird. Is one more dominant with more control over the body than the other?
 
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I guess one may have control over the spine etc.
Maybe if one is born that way one is used to it.
Look at siamese twins.

sakina
 
Heres another pic. Same snake.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2002481326,00.html

Two heads biter than one

Slippery customer ... a bizarre two-headed snake

By ANDY WILKS

WITH two forked tongues and four beady eyes, this slippery character boasts a head start on its rivals in the battle for survival.

The bizarre two-headed snake was captured yesterday in a hotel garden in Palma, Majorca.

Scientists do not know what made the insect-eating False Smooth Snake — latin name Macroprotodon Cucullatus — mutate. But expert Professor Gordon Burghardt, from Tennessee, said two heads were NOT always better than one.

He added: “Double-headed snakes are very rare, but not unheard of.

“The trouble is they have great difficulty deciding which direction to go, so cannot respond quickly to attacks.”
Click to expand...
 
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2 headed snake found

Ky. Boy Finds Two-Headed Snake

Thu Oct 16,12:52 PM ET Add Strange News - AP to My Yahoo!



CENTERTOWN, Ky. - Hunter York was afraid of snakes, but he couldn't resist the two-headed reptile he found. Hunter, 10, said he picked up the black king snake with a stick, then noticed it grabbed the stick with both heads.



"I ran in the house and said, 'Dad, this snake has two heads.' And he said, 'What?'" Hunter said.

Hunter said the snake "kind of freaked me out a little bit."

The 8 1/2-inch female reptile hasn't eaten since Hunter found it Oct. 4.

Hunter's father, Rodney York, loaned the snake Tuesday to Bowling Green snake hobbyist Scott Petty to see whether he could induce it to eat.

"We couldn't force-feed it, because we don't know which head eats," York said.

York said he jokingly named the snake Mary-Kate and Ashley, because those were the first names of twins that came to mind.

York said he's considering a brief stint in show business for the snake once he learns more about it.

"If they're that rare, I'm going to hit up (talk-show hosts David) Letterman, (Jay) Leno and everybody I can think of," he said. "I'm going to milk it for all it's worth."

Ed Zimmerer, a Murray State University biology professor and herpetologist, estimated the occurrence of a two-headed snake at 1 in 10,000.

"They usually don't live too long," he said.

The snake might be unable to determine which is the dominant head or have some internal problems that interfere with eating, he said.
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Source
 
Two-headed snakes are of course unusual, but not as rare as you might think. Quite a few examples are known. This one (or should I say, these ones) :confused:, called Thelma and Louise, lived a normal life span in San Diego Zoo, giving birth to several normal offspring.

Two-headed snakes would be at a big disadvantage in the wild, as each head tries to get its own way re: chasing prey, eating, escaping from predators, and such like. It's not really a two-headed snake at all, but two snakes sharing one body.
I wonder if it would survive if you amputated one of the heads?

Big Bill Robinson
 
Yeah, I'm afraid these are actually quite common (or relatively common, at least). In any case, a two-headed snake isn't much of a cryptid.
 
Remember that poor two-headed king snake? Most unfortunate incident. :nooo:
 
Any takers?!

Two-headed snake up for auction

A rare two-headed albino rat snake is being auctioned on eBay for $150,000 (£87,000) by an American aquarium.
The World Aquarium in St Louis has been home to the unique reptile, named "We", for the past six years.

Aquarium president Leonard Sonnenschein said he expects the snake to generate the same level of demand as a priceless work of art.

We is being sold to pay for education, conservation and research programmes.

The aquarium purchased the snake for $15,000 (£8,700) when it was six-and-a-half years old, despite knowing that most two-headed snakes do not live for more than a few months.

"It's an amazing snake," Mr Sonnenschein told the Associated Press news agency. "When people see it they are awe-struck."

Stolen

The snake is a healthy size for a rat snake, at 2.5cm (one inch) thick and 1.2m (four feet) long.

It is currently at the prime age for breeding and is expected to live for another 10 to 15 years.

It has survived for so long because both heads are connected to the same stomach, Mr Sonnenschein added.

We was almost sold in 2004, after it was stolen by a city museum worker. Fortunately, authorities found the snake in the man's garage at his home in Illinois.

Mr Sonnenschein said the man was intending to sell it.

"The thing is, it's the only one in the world."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4577258.stm
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See also:

For sale on EBAY: 2-headed albino rat snake, bidding starts at $150,000 US

Mon Jan 2, 7:53 PM ET


The World Aquarium in St. Louis has been home to We, a one-of-a-kind two-headed albino rat snake, since 1999. President Leonard Sonnenschein has decided to sell the reptile, and bidding on e-Bay will start at $150,000.

"It's an amazing snake," Sonnenschein said Monday.

"When people see it they are awe-struck."

The 6 1/2-year-old snake came to the aquarium's attention when its previous owner distributed a circular offering it for sale days after its birth. The aquarium paid $15,000, knowing full well most two-headed snakes don't live more than a few months.

But We has survived and thrived. At 2.5 centimetres thick and 1.2 metres long, she is a healthy size for a rat snake. While her body is white, the heads have a reddish appearance.

We has survived because, unlike some two-headed animals, both mouths are connected to the same stomach, Sonnenschein said.

Van Wallach of Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology said We should live an additional 10 to 15 years. And Sonnenschein said it's at a ripe age for breeding.

"We expect the sale of We to be on the same level of demand as a priceless art object," he said.

The snake has been in the spotlight before. In 2004, a disgruntled City Museum worker stole We. Authorities found the snake in the garage of the man's home in Illinois.

"He thought he was going to sell it," Sonnenschein said.

"The thing is, it's the only one in the world."

-

On the Net: http://www.worldaquarium.net
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Source

Aquarium is selling two-headed snake

01/03/2006

The World Aquarium in St. Louis is offering to sell an albino rat snake with two heads for $150,000 or the best offer. The snake, named We, has been at the aquarium since 1999.

The 6 1/2-year-old snake came to the aquarium's attention when its previous owner distributed a circular offering it for sale days after its birth. The aquarium paid $15,000, knowing that most two-headed snakes don't live more than a few months.

But We has survived. An inch thick and 4 feet long, she is a healthy size for a rat snake.

Aquarium President Leonard Sonnenschein said We has survived because, unlike some two-headed animals, both mouths are connected to the same stomach. Van Wallach of Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology said the snake should live 10 to 15 years longer.

Sonnenschein said the decision to sell We was a difficult one but that the money will go to education, conservation and research programs.

The aquarium is now on the second floor of the City Museum in downtown St. Louis.
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Source


edited by TheQuixote - fixing big link
 
Twin-headed snake has gardener on the run

Inga Strydom
April 28 2006 at 10:46AM

Mythology describes an encounter with a multiheaded snake as symbolic of adept evil, but in Kareedouw, between Port Elizabeth and Plettenberg Bay, the recent discovery of a 10cm conjoined slug-eater was worth its weight in research material.

The slug-eater may be a common garden snake that lives under pot plants, but the two-headed genetic throwback is a rare find.

Michael Caithness, the owner of Lawnwood Snake Sanctuary in Plettenberg Bay, where the snake is now living, said he had read about such a phenomenon among exotic snakes in India and Asia, but this was the first time in 27 years of working with snakes that he had heard of one in Africa.

Both heads are functional on this particular specimen, although they decide to slither their separate ways at times.

Both heads are functional on this particular specimen
Both tongues flicker, sometimes in unison, sometimes separately, a further indication, says Caithness, "that they do not necessarily think the same".

"They each have their own necks but share the same spine."

Kareedouw resident Pieter Harker, 82, found the newly born slug-eater, more popularly known as a tabakroller, while weeding his garden.

The name tabakroller was given to the snake because it spirals like a leaf when threatened and releases a pungent odour like that of pipe smoke.

When Harker's gardener of four years saw the two-headed snake he fled from the house, never to return.

Harker nurtured the two-headed snake for three days and had photographs taken, which he submitted to the South African Broadcasting Corporation's (SABC) 50/50 wildlife programme.

Finally, he was advised to take it to the snake sanctuary.

Slug-eaters have no venom.

Caithness said the snake would not survive in nature because it would be too easily spotted by predators like birds, cats and mongoose.

He hopes the twins gain enough body fat before hibernation begins.

The team at the snake sanctuary are hoping to see both heads eat.

Snakes eat once a week or every two weeks.

"If we let it go it will definitely die, but we are not sure if it will live long because we haven't seen it eat yet. This is not something you find in nature."

----------
o This article was originally published on page 3 of Cape Times on April 28, 2006
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Source
 
A two-headed rattlesnake has been found in New Jersey.
Rare, two-headed rattlesnake found in New Jersey forest

It looks like something from a science fiction movie.

A newborn two-headed timber rattlesnake has been found in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens. Herpetological Associates of Burlington County CEO Bob Zappalorti says the snake has two brains and each head acts independently of the other.

Two employees at the organization spotted the reptile in a nest where a timber rattlesnake was giving birth late last month.

Zappalorti tells NJ Advance Media it’s the only two-headed timber rattlesnake ever found in New Jersey. He says it likely wouldn’t be able to survive in the wild because its heads could get snagged on something. ...
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SOURCE: https://www.apnews.com/eac4d8db084d41689461c8da72e885f9
 
Swifty said:
Unfortunately no pictures so we'll have to trust them.
Click to expand...

??? ... There's a photo with the linked news article. Here it is ...

NJ-2-HeadedRattler.jpeg
 
18087770-7429501-The_snake_was_found_in_the_streets_of_a_small_village_in_the_Tab-m-18_1567649...jpg

Sssssseeing double? Rare two-headed snake is discovered in Bali by a group of shocked schoolchildren

The snake was found in the streets of a small village in the Tabanan region
Residents were surprised to find the snake and some grabbed a stick to look at it
Two-headed snakes tend to be the result of inbreeding in captivity and are rare

Bali residents were shocked to discover a large two-headed snake out in the wild.

The reptile was found in the streets of a small village in the Tabanan region on August 30. ...
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SOURCE: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7429501/Rare-two-headed-snake-discovered-Bali.html
 
I'm sure I'm not the only one here who'd love to keep one of these as a pet ..
 
EnolaGaia said:
A two-headed rattlesnake has been found in New Jersey. ...
Click to expand...

Here's an update on this bicephalic rattlesnake ... It's been named "Double Dave" (after the two Daves who discovered it), and it's surviving in captivity.
Rare, Two-Headed Rattlesnake Named 'Double Dave' Rescued from Certain Doom in

Two herpetologists in New Jersey — both named Dave — have discovered a rare, two-headed snake, which they've named Double-Dave. Members of the Nobel Prize committee: The ball is in your court.

Double-Dave is a baby rattlesnake, just a few weeks old and about 9 inches (23 centimeters) long, according to a recent segment on ABC News. Herpetologists Dave Schneider and Dave Burkett, who work with the Herpetological Associates in Pemberton, New Jersey, found the critter a few weeks ago while surveying the nearby Pine Barrens — a heavily forested area stretching across the southern tip of the state.

With two independent heads and one shared body, bicephalic animals like D-D rarely survive to maturity in the wild; decisions as simple as whether to slither left or right, or which head gets to eat first, suddenly become staggering battles of will, leaving bicephalic animals especially vulnerable to predators. Knowing this, the Daves decided to take the young snake back to their office, where they've been feeding and caring for it for several weeks.

So far, it seems, Double-Dave is getting along with himself in his new home.
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SOURCE: https://www.livescience.com/double-dave-bicephalic-rattlesnake.html
 
A two-headed cobra has been found in India ...
Two-headed cobra discovered in Indian village

Wildlife officials in India said a two-headed snake was discovered in a village, but locals refused to turn the serpent over because they believe it has mythological meaning.

Forest Department officials said the two-headed monocled cobra, a venomous species, was discovered in Midnapore City, Bengal.

Kaustav Chakraborty, a Forest Department herpetologist, said villagers refused to turn the cobra over to the department because they believe the two-headed creature holds mythological significance.

"This is totally a biological issue like a human being can have two heads or thumbs similarly this snake has two heads. This doesn't have to do anything related to mythological belief. The longevity of such species increases by keeping them in captivity. The life span of this snake can be increased if it is preserved," Chakraborty told ANI News.
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SOURCE (With Video): https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2019/1...covered-in-Indian-village/2071576099352/?sl=1
 
Snake catcher found a bicephalic newborn snake among a litter(?) birthed by a snake he'd removed from a residence ...
Snake gives birth to two-headed baby in reptile catcher's car

An Australian snake catcher called out to relocate a female tiger snake from a resident's yard said the serpent gave birth in his car -- and one of the babies had two heads.

Steward Gatt, aka Stewy the Snake Catcher, said he was called out this week to relocate a female tiger snake from a resident's yard in Ardeer, Victoria.

Gatt said he captured the snake in a bag and loaded it into his car, but when he opened the bag a little while later he discovered the reptile had given birth to several babies, including one with two heads.

The catcher took the snakes to Direct Vet Services in Point Cook.

"As cool as it was these animals are not generally viable so it was euthanized on humane grounds," the clinic said in a Facebook post.

The rest of the babies were found to be healthy and were released back into the wild alongside their mother.
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SOURCE: https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2020/0...d-baby-in-reptile-catchers-car/4981584728803/
 
A North Carolina woman found a bicephalic snake in her home. Its new home will be an educational science center for kids.
North Carolina woman finds two-headed snake inside her home

A North Carolina woman said a surprise appearance by a snake inside her home turned out to be doubly surprising when she noticed the reptile has two heads.

Jeannie Wilson said she was in the sunroom of her Alexander County home when she spotted a foot-long baby snake slithering around. ...

Wilson said she was shocked to notice the reptile was a two-headed snake. ...

Wilson turned the snake, which she named Double Trouble, over to the Catawba Science Center, which confirmed it was a non-venomous rat snake.

The science center, which is preparing to reopen this week following a long shutdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said the snake will have a new permanent home and will be used in educational programs for children. ...
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SOURCE (With Photo):
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2020/0...o-headed-snake-inside-her-home/4531601399529/
 
The cat brought this young bicephalic snake into a Florida household.

2-HeadedSnake-FL-201022.jpg
Two-headed snake brought inside by Florida woman's cat

... Kay Rogers said her daughter's cat, Olive, brought a snake into the living room of the family's Palm Harbor home and after rescuing the reptile from the feline they noticed the small snake has two heads. ...

"Originally I thought my daughter was kidding when she said that. Then I saw him and was amazed, I had never seen anything like that," Rogers told WKMG-TV.

The snake, a black racer that Rogers' daughter named Dos, is now in the care of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Research Institute.

"This phenomenon, termed bicephaly, is uncommon but happens during embryo development when two monozygotic twins failed to separate, leaving the heads conjoined onto a single body. Both head's tongue flick and react to movement, but not always in the same way," the FWC said in a Facebook post.

Officials said Dos would be unlikely to survive in the wild due to its pair of independent brains making it difficult for the animal to eat and escape from predators.
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SOURCE: https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2020/1...t-inside-by-Florida-womans-cat/6121603383107/
 
Two-headed snakes can live long normal lifespans if they aren't vulnerable to predators. This bicephalic snake at a Missouri nature center is celebrating its 16th birthday.
Two-headed snake turning 'sweet 16' at Missouri center

A Missouri nature center is throwing a "sweet 16" birthday party for one of its most unusual resident animals: a two-headed snake.

The Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, which is operated by the Missouri Department of Conservation, said the female black rat snake, which has two heads with fully functional brains, will turn 16 on Saturday and visitors are being invited to join the celebration. ...

Alex Holmes, a naturalist with the MDC, said rat snakes typically live about 10 years in the wild, and conjoined twins usually live for far fewer years because their body's lack of dominant leadership makes them an easy target for predators. ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/0...eau-Conservation-Nature-Center/6831630611829/
 
A North Carolina snake collector / breeder has presented a bicephalic (two-headed) albino milk snake.
North Carolina snake breeder unveils two-headed albino milk snake

A North Carolina snake breeder unveiled one of the newest and most unusual additions to his menagerie: a two-headed Honduran albino milk snake.

Jimmy Mabe of Farmer said the young snake has two heads that share one set of lungs and a stomach. He said both heads appear to be functional. ...

"The right side is a little more aggressive than the left," Mabe told WGHP-TV. "So it wants to bite me more."

He said the two heads are still figuring out how to coexist.

"They do have a different mind to go in a different direction than the other," he said. "They can't always be fighting over which way to go." ...
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FULL STORY (With Video): https://www.kgw.com/article/news/co...ttle/283-6a48c9a6-beab-405f-906d-391921a894b9
 
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