A Rare Two-Headed Baby Copperhead Snake Was Discovered in Virginia
The thought of having a close encounter with a snake is scary enough — now imagine if it happened with a two-headed snake. That was exactly the case on Thursday, September 20, when a woman in Woodbridge, Virginia discovered a serpent that did indeed have two heads in her neighbor's yard Mashable reported.
But rather than completely freak out (which would be justified, to be honest), the woman contacted the Virginia Herpetological Society for identification, according to the Wildlife Center of Virginia. That organization then brought in the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF), which worked with the Wildlife Center to examine the serpent — a rare two-headed baby copperhead.
The Wildlife Center shared multiple photos of the animal from its examination, along with further details about its fascinating anatomy. "Radiographs revealed that the two-headed snake has two tracheas [the left one is more developed], two esophaguses [the right one is more developed], and the two heads share one heart and one set of lungs," the center reported. "Based on the anatomy, it would be better for the right head to eat, but it may be a challenge since the left head appears more dominant."
The snake is currently being cared for by a private reptile keeper, J.D. Kleopfer, a specialist with DGIF stated in a Facebook post — though it's unclear how long the little creature will survive. "Wild bicephalic snakes are exceptionally rare, because they just don't live that long," J.D. Kleopfer, a specialist with the DGIF, wrote on Facebook. "Too many challenges living day to day with two heads."
Even so, J.D. expressed hope, adding, "With a little luck and care, we hope to eventually donate it to a zoological facility for exhibit." In the meantime, you can check out a video of the little guy in action (if you can stomach it).
And while two-headed snakes are rare, this isn't the first time one has been discovered this year. In March 2018, National Geographic Wild featured a two-headed boa constrictor on its show, *Dr. K. * Dr. Lauren Thielen, the veterinarian who inspected the two-week-old reptile, said she had never seen a two-headed snake before. Even wilder: The double-headed boa had two hearts (the copperhead from Virginia only had one). "I was shocked it has two hearts," she said, according to National Geographic. "But it was really cool to understand that the Siamese twin snake was really two snakes in one outer skin."
Here's to some wild nightmares tonight!
Related: A Teacher Allegedly Fed a Live Puppy to a Turtle in Front of Students
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