This year continues to be, well … this year.
A rare two-headed snake has been found in Florida by a family’s cat.
“A rare two-headed southern black racer was recently found at a residence in Palm Harbor by Kay Rogers and family,” explained the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, in a Facebook post. “This phenomenon, termed bicephaly, is uncommon but happens during embryo development when two monozygotic twins failed to separate, leaving the heads conjoined onto a single body.”
LiveScience reports that the Rogers family’s cat made the startling find last month, returning home with the reptile and dropping it on the living room floor.
In another Facebook post, Kay Rogers explained that the family named the snake “Dos.”
The unusual animal’s survival odds in the wild were slim, according to the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.
“Both head’s tongue flick and react to movement, but not always in the same way,” the Research Institute explained. “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.”
Officials explained that the snake is being cared for by FWC staff.
Southern black racers, which are non-venomous, are found throughout mainland Florida and the Florida Keys, according to the Florida Museum. Juvenile southern black racers are blotched, the museum notes.
Earlier this year a rare, deadly Russell’s Viper snake with two heads was spotted in India.
In 2018, a two-headed western rat snake was discovered in a New Orleans backyard.
