Rare 2-headed snake in captivity at FWC's research institute
St. Petersburg, Florida - According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC's) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg, FL, a rare two-headed southern black racer snake was found shortly before October 21, 2020, at a residence in Palm Harbor (Pinellas County) by Kay Rogers and family.
This two-headed phenomenon, termed bicephaly, is uncommon, but happens during embryo development when two monozygotic twins (twins derived from a single ovum, thus identical) fail to separate, leaving the heads conjoined onto a single body.
According to the institute's Facebook post, the tongues in both heads flick and react to movement, but not always in the same way, and the two brains make different decisions that inhibit its ability to feed or escape from predators, making it unlikely that it could survive in the wild.
The snake is currently being cared-for and monitored by staff members at the institute..