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Rare Two-Headed Copperhead snake found in VA
https://slate.com/technology/2018/09/two-headed-snake-virginia-extremely-rare.html
State officials have placed a rare two-headed copperhead snake into the care of a viper breeder after a woman in Northern Virginia found the anomalous creature in her front yard last week. Radiographs and other examination procedures revealed that the snake also has two tracheas and two esophagi, but only one heart and a set of lungs. The left head’s esophagus is more dominant, while the right head’s throat is more developed for eating. Both heads are able to bite and inject venom.
The residents who found the snake notified the Virginia Herpetological Society, which brought it in for examination at a nearby hospital and wildlife center. Wildlife experts are currently trying to make sure that it stays alive. The snake appears to be about 2 weeks old, and officials hope to be able to exhibit it at a zoo. -snip--
Two-headed snakes are extremely rare, especially in the wild, largely because their survival rates are low. The heads have two separate brains that are often at odds with one another. The Wildlife Center of Virginia notes that this copperhead may have particular difficulties with eating because the left head is more dominant, while the right head is more suited to the task.
Herpetologists have observed similar cases in which the heads fight over who gets to eat the prey, which wastes valuable time and leaves the snakes vulnerable to predators. Deciding which direction to go, which prey to pursue, when to attack, how to respond to threats, and whether or not it’s even hungry are all potential obstacles to survival for two-headed snakes. Sometimes, one head may even mistake the other for prey and attempt to eat it.
The residents who found the snake notified the Virginia Herpetological Society, which brought it in for examination at a nearby hospital and wildlife center. Wildlife experts are currently trying to make sure that it stays alive. The snake appears to be about 2 weeks old, and officials hope to be able to exhibit it at a zoo. -snip--
Two-headed snakes are extremely rare, especially in the wild, largely because their survival rates are low. The heads have two separate brains that are often at odds with one another. The Wildlife Center of Virginia notes that this copperhead may have particular difficulties with eating because the left head is more dominant, while the right head is more suited to the task.
Herpetologists have observed similar cases in which the heads fight over who gets to eat the prey, which wastes valuable time and leaves the snakes vulnerable to predators. Deciding which direction to go, which prey to pursue, when to attack, how to respond to threats, and whether or not it’s even hungry are all potential obstacles to survival for two-headed snakes. Sometimes, one head may even mistake the other for prey and attempt to eat it.
My Father found a dead two-headed snake many years ago, but to see one alive and moving is pretty amazing (and yeah, disturbing).
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