Two-headed Snake Belonging to the Southern Brown Egg-eater Species, Measuring About 0.3 Meters Long. After Being Found Crawling into a House, the Snake Was Released Back into the Wild.
Animals with more than one head are more commonly found among reptiles than mammals. This phenomenon is known in the scientific community as polycephaly. One cause of this condition is the incomplete splitting of an embryo. Additionally, two separate embryos may partially fuse, creating a creature reminiscent of Orthrus (In Greek mythology, Orthrus or Orthus is a two-headed dog that guarded Geryon’s cattle and was killed by Heracles).
According to an article published in the Journal of Comparative Pathology in 2013, only three out of 4,087 hatched king cobras had two heads.
Recently, snake rescuer Nick Evans was called by a man in the town of Ndwedwe, northern Durban, South Africa, to handle a southern brown egg-eater (Dasypeltis inornata) found in his garden. Not wanting anyone to harm the strange two-headed creature, the man put it in a bottle and asked Evans to take it to a safe place.
Evans later shared in a Facebook post: “It was bizarre to see this deformed snake. It was not fully grown, measuring only about 0.3 meters. It was fascinating to watch it move. Sometimes, the two heads tried to go in opposite directions. At other times, one head would rest on the other. That seemed to be the most effective way for it to move.”
Occasionally, two-headed snakes are discovered born in captivity. However, they are rarely found in the wild.
Typically, animals born with multiple heads do not live long. This depends on the degree of separation between the two heads. Two heads with two different stomachs often result in food competition. Consequently, they are more likely to starve compared to those with just one stomach. Additionally, a single set of organs supporting two bodies causes excessive stress on the animal, potentially reducing its lifespan.
Evans stated that the brown snake is safe and being professionally cared for. He expressed surprise at how it managed to survive in the wild until it was spotted.
He explained: “Releasing a two-headed snake is not beneficial. From what I know, they usually don’t live long. They often cannot move or move very slowly. They are also more easily caught by predators.”
Many people commented on Evans’ post, expressing their happiness that the snake was finally safe.