Another 2 Headed Snake Found in Bali

[Ax01]

here's another one. i think we've seen a half dozen of these over the past year - Copperhead, Carpet, Rattler, etc. i know we all think it's rare in the grand scheme of things but i think it's probably more common that we think. i think they just either die off or prey upon before discovery.

anyways i'm not sure what species this is. the first article described it as large and the second one says small. either way, it looks deformed to me beyong the two heads. i think that's a big kink at the base of the head(s) and the jaws look wierd.




story: https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/world...cn9?li=BBqdk7Q

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

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.

Residents were surprised to find the two-headed snake slithering on a large leaf and some extremely brave people grabbed a stick and examined the odd occurrence.

A group of children sat in a circle around the snake and one girl recorded it on her phone and giggled.

The snake is examined by a man in a blue shirt who grabbed a nearby stick and flipped it over.

It is placed on a large green leaf and wobbles around while it is surrounded by yellow flowers and several broken sticks.

Two-headed snakes aren't exclusive to Bali with one Australian snake breeder from Wodonga in Victoria making a similar discovery.

John McNamara saw two heads poking out of one coastal carpet python egg in February 2016 and thought he had twins.

But when he checked the egg, he realised the snake had two heads.

'They both went down to the stomach so they're completely separate … sharing one stomach; they should be sharing all the same organs but just have two heads and two throats,' Mr McNamara told The Sydney Morning Herald.

Reptiles are more likely to be born with two heads as they have many offspring and their eggs are exposed to the environment, which can result in many factors that could affect the developing embryo.

Two-headed snakes tend to be the result of inbreeding in captivity, but there have been rare occurrences where one is found in the wild.

The lifespan of two-headed animals is generally short as they find it difficult to escape predators or forage for food.

One of the heads is generally the dominant one but in some cases, the two heads don't always cooperate.

and here: https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/tiny...bali-1.4578906

Tiny two-headed snake spotted in Bali

BALI, Indonesia - Residents of a village in Bali got a shock when they spotted a two-headed snake in their midst -- a rare find in the wild.

The reptile was seen slithering in the central part of the Indonesian holiday island last week.

"When I got home from work, I parked my motorbike next to the snake," said local resident Gusti Bagus Eka Budaya.

"I looked more closely and it turned out to have two heads. I was shocked."

A video shows several children gathered around the tiny serpent -- small enough to fit in the palm of a human hand -- as it slides about a banana leaf decorated with a traditional Balinese Hindu offering.

It was not clear what kind of snake it was or whether it was venomous.

Experts have previously been quoted as saying that two-headed snakes rarely occur in the wild and have usually been bred in captivity.

[Valyndris]

Interesting, thank you for sharing, it's amazing how some things that don't look like they'd ever survive actually make it.