10-12-2011, 01:05 PM
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TN wildlife officials shocked to find two-headed snake
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TN wildlife officials shocked to find two-headed snake
Posted: Oct 11, 2011 6:53 PM EDT
Updated: Oct 11, 2011 7:57 PM EDT
Posted by Carley Gordon - email CLARKSVILLE, TN (WSMV) - "It's got the distinct yellow bands going down the body," said Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) officer Dale Grandstaff.
At first glance, it looks like your typical baby king snake.
"On the bottom it just has this checkerboard pattern of black and yellow," said Grandstaff.
But when Paul Carver found it slithering around his Montgomery County backyard, he realized the royal serpent would need two crowns.
"I was like, 'What do I do with this thing?'" said Carver.
You see, the snake has not one head, but two.
"I was worried about which head was going to bite me," said Carver.
So Carver took it to Grandstaff who was just as bewildered.
"I've been doing this for 13 years and been in the woods my whole life, you know nearly 40 years, and I've never seen anything like this," said Grandstaff.
It has two separate heads with two functioning brains, yet they share the same eight inch body.
"Both tongues work. It has a set of eyes on each head and a mouth on each head," said Grandstaff.
When it comes to snakes, two heads aren't better than one. In fact, Grandstaff said its chances of survival in the wild are actually slim to none.
"With two heads everything's getting caught. See he's trying to push but he can't," said Grandstaff.
Grandstaff plans to take the snake to Tennessee Tech in Cookeville on Thursday, where the first order of business will be to feed the hungry hydra.
"There may be something there where if this head wants to eat and this head wants to eat the same thing, they may have trouble swallowing," said Grandstaff.
The hope is that this unusual snake will survive and that its two heads will make smarter scholars.
"It will be interesting to see it grow into an adult and see what happens," said Grandstaff.
"Hopefully, somebody will get something out of it. It would be a good learning experience, help science, or something," said Carver.
Even if scientists can't get the snake to eat and it ends up dying, they plan to preserve the body to use in the classroom.
Copyright 2011 WSMV. All rights reserved.
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http://www.kpho.com/story/15670366/t...o-headed-snake
CNN Video link
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/...smv?&hpt=hp_c2
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