WATCH: Double vision? No, just a snake with two heads

USHAKA Marine World has somewhat of an unusual creature on its hands after a newly-hatched two-headed snake was handed over.

With one head measuring just 33mm and the other 37mm, the tiny southern brown egg-eating snake (Dasypeltis inornata) is on display in uShaka’s Dangerous Creatures exhibit after having been rescued by Durban snake catcher Nick Evans.

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After responding to a Durban North resident’s snake removal call, Evans said it was clear to him that the snake had virtually no chance of surviving on its own, which is when he chose to hand it over to uShaka Marine World.

SAAMBR (SA Association for Marine Biological Research) has affectionately named this snake Jean-Claude van Egg-Eater, and the organisation’s herpetologists are keeping a close eye on this most unusual resident.

According to SAAMBR, the phenomenon of an animal with two heads is called bicephaly or dicephaly.

While this phenomenon is uncommon, it has been seen in a number of other animals, including sharks, deer, turtles and kittens.

The condition occurs when twin embryos fail to separate completely. In humans, it is referred to as con-joined twins.

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