A surprised couple discovered an ultra-rare two-headed snake – and it looks like both heads are hungry.
Venomous copperhead snakes have a bite that can cause extreme pain, palpitations, swelling and severe nausea, as well as damage to bone and muscle tissue.
When camouflaged, they can also be almost impossible to spot, but that wasn’t the case for one lucky couple, who discovered a two-headed copperhead lurking in their garden.
The snake, which was found in Leslie County in the US state of Kentucky, has been called unique by local wildlife experts.
Venomous copperhead snakes have a bite that can cause extreme pain
“A two-headed copperhead is a first for me,” said John MacGregor, a herpetologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
The lifespan of a two-headed snake in the wild is usually short due to physical limitations caused by mutation.
“A big question is whether the throat connects to the rest of the intestinal tract,” MacGregor said.
“That’s sometimes a problem with two-headed animals; neither head is fully formed, and there is no way they can swallow anything.
“Sometimes one head works and the other doesn’t. “With this snake, both tongues are functional, so we think there is a good chance that both are functional.”
If the creature survives to adulthood, it could grow to almost a meter in length.
As long as it appears to be in good health, the snake will be on display at the Salato Wildlife Education Center in Frankfort.
Its director, Heather Teachey, said: “Salato is delighted to be home to this unique animal.
“We hope the snake will thrive in our care and be an educational ambassador for a species native to Kentucky.”
And Mr MacGregor said: “It’s a really interesting animal to have on display and a unique opportunity for the public.”
The copperhead is one of four species of venomous snakes found in Kentucky. The others are the cottonmouth, timber rattlesnake and pygmy rattlesnake.
Like most North American vipers, it prefers to avoid humans, however, the copperhead often freezes rather than slithers.
As such, the camouflaged copperhead is sometimes trampled by humans, who are then bitten by the snake.
