A rare, two-headed snake was found Wednesday in a residential area of Florida, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
The snake, a southern black racer, possessed two heads and two brains and was found in the Palm Harbor of Florida, according to wildlife officials, per the Orlando Sentinel.
The research division of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, posted images of the two-headed southern black racer to their Facebook page.
A rare two-headed southern black racer was recently found at a residence in Palm Harbor by Kay Rogers and family. This…
Posted by FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute on Wednesday, October 21, 2020
“Two-headed snakes are unlikely to survive in the wild as the two brains make different decisions that inhibit the ability to feed or escape from predators,” according to the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute Facebook post.
The “phenomenon” of the snake possessing two heads is termed bicephaly, which, according to the Facebook post, “happens during embryo development when two monozygotic twins failed to separate, leaving the heads conjoined onto a single body. Both head’s tongue flick and react to movement, but not always in the same way.” (RELATED: Largest Wildfire In Colorado History Could Merge With Second Massive Blaze, Officials Warn)
Southern black racers are found in mainland Florida and are often seen in residential areas, and generally occupy “pinelands, hardwood hammocks, prairies, sandhills, scrub, and cypress strands,” according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
The two-headed, southern black racer snake is currently being taken care of and monitored for health by the FWC staff, according to the Facebook post.