They say two heads are better than one, but perhaps not in the case of this mutant two-headed cobra discovered in China.
A snake breeder, who is known only as Mr Huang, found the baby Chinese cobra on his farm in Yulin, southern China, ten days ago.
He said the creepy-looking snake is still alive and growing, even though it does not eat or drink, reported the People's Daily Online.
The second head begins three quarters up the snake's body and can move independently.
In fact, both heads have their own brain, meaning they often try and move in opposite directions.
Sometimes two-headed snakes will attack each other, and even try to swallow each other.
Mr Huang has now handed over the venomous Chinese cobra to experts at Nanning Zoo in the hope that it will live longer.
Li Keqi, a zookeeper at Nanning Zoo, said that there was no way of telling whether the Chinese cobra will survive.
He said: 'The snake has been alive for 10 days now and has been with us for two, during which time it has already changed its skin once.'
'But even though the snake is stable condition now, there is no way of telling whether it will be able to live on, as it still does not eat or drink water.'
Polycephaly, the condition of having two heads, is most commonly seen among snakes.
While most polycephalic snakes have a short lifespan of only a few months, one two-headed rat snake reportedly lived for 20 years.
Chinese cobras usually grow to a length of between 1.2 and 1.5 metres.
A snake breeder, who is known only as Mr Huang, found the baby Chinese cobra on his farm in Yulin, southern China, ten days ago.
He said the creepy-looking snake is still alive and growing, even though it does not eat or drink, reported the People's Daily Online.
The second head begins three quarters up the snake's body and can move independently.
In fact, both heads have their own brain, meaning they often try and move in opposite directions.
Sometimes two-headed snakes will attack each other, and even try to swallow each other.
Mr Huang has now handed over the venomous Chinese cobra to experts at Nanning Zoo in the hope that it will live longer.
Li Keqi, a zookeeper at Nanning Zoo, said that there was no way of telling whether the Chinese cobra will survive.
He said: 'The snake has been alive for 10 days now and has been with us for two, during which time it has already changed its skin once.'
'But even though the snake is stable condition now, there is no way of telling whether it will be able to live on, as it still does not eat or drink water.'
Polycephaly, the condition of having two heads, is most commonly seen among snakes.
While most polycephalic snakes have a short lifespan of only a few months, one two-headed rat snake reportedly lived for 20 years.
Chinese cobras usually grow to a length of between 1.2 and 1.5 metres.
Music : Dub Eastern by Kevin MacLeod
Source : DailyMail, People's Daily Online
Comments
Post a Comment