The two-headed snake is a Southern Brown Egg-eating Snake, measuring about 0.3 meters long, that wandered into a local garden and was safely relocated.
Snake rescue worker Nick Evans was called by a man in Ndwedwe, a town north of Durban, South Africa, to handle a Southern Brown Egg-eating Snake (Dasypeltis inornata)—a harmless species—found in his garden. The man wanted to ensure that the unusual two-headed creature was not harmed, so he placed it in a jar and asked Evans to take it to a safe location.
Rare two-headed Southern Brown Egg-eating Snake (Dasypeltis inornata). (Photo: Nick Evans)
“It was strange to see this deformity in a snake. It is not fully grown, measuring only about 0.3 meters. It’s fascinating to watch it move. Sometimes, the two heads try to go in opposite directions. At other times, one head leans against the other. That seems to be the most effective way to move,” Evans wrote when he posted a photo of the creature on Facebook on June 28.
Occasionally, animals are born with two or more heads on the same body (a condition known as polycephaly), which is more common in reptiles than in mammals. This condition can result from an incomplete division during embryonic development. Another cause is the incomplete fusion of two separate embryos.
According to a 2013 study published in the journal Comparative Pathology, out of 4,087 baby pit vipers, only three were born with two heads. The world has recorded instances of two-headed snakes being born in captivity, and sometimes in the wild, but such occurrences are extremely rare.
Animals with polycephaly often do not live long, depending on the degree of separation between the heads. Two heads with two separate stomachs typically compete for food and are more likely to starve than if they had only one stomach. However, having one organ functioning for two bodies can cause the animal excessive stress, potentially reducing its lifespan.
Evans reported that the Southern Brown Egg-eating Snake is now safe and being professionally cared for. He was surprised that it survived until the homeowner in Durban found it.
“It’s not beneficial to release a two-headed snake. As far as I know, they usually do not live long. This animal would not survive well in the wild. It can hardly move, and when it does, it is extremely slow. It is very easy prey for predators,” he explained.
