Janus the tortoise, also known as the two-headed tortoise, will celebrate his 25th birthday on Saturday at the Natural History Museum in Geneva, where all of his requirements is met by a dedicated team.
The reptile has two distinct personalities, two hearts, and two sets of lungs.
Due to the commitment of his human handlers, the two-headed tortoise in Switzerland turned 25 on Saturday.
On his special day, the reptile known as Janus, which has grown to be one of its main draws, was washed with a toothbrush. The museum meets all of the animals' needs.
The Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca) receives daily chamomile and green tea baths, frequent massages, a special diet, and health status checks.
Janus is fed organic produce that has been chopped up.
There will also be gatherings to remember his interactions with his caregivers and a scientific talk about the of Janus' two heads.
Double celebration
Janus also has two personalities, two hearts, and two sets of lungs. The heads occasionally want to go in opposing directions.
Angelica Bourgoin, leader of the turtle's care team, said that The right head has a much stronger personality and is more inquisitive and awake. The left head loves to eat and is more passive.
Janus is constantly being watched over by the care team, who are also constantly alert in case he should ever flip over, which would make getting back to his feet extremely difficult and potentially fatal.
The tortoise was given the name Janus, which is a reference to the two-faced Roman god, when it was born in captivity at the museum in 1997.
Experts believed that the creature would not have stayed alive against predators in the wild because its heads cannot withdraw into its shell for self-defense, DW reported.
Read also: Rare Snake with Two Heads Devours Two Mice at the Same Time
Greek Tortoise
One of the five species of Mediterranean tortoises is the Greek tortoise. It can come in a variety of hues, such as brown, black, dark yellow, and gold.
The patterns on this tortoise's shell, which resemble traditional Greek mosaic borders and various colored dots, gave rise to its name.
A Greek tortoise has a flat head with large eyes, a domed carapace, large scales on its legs, and powerful claws.
Greek tortoises can be found in southwest Asia, North Africa, and southern Europe.
There are a lot of them in Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, as well as along the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.
The ones in North Africa can be found in coastal dunes, marshland borders, rocky, brushy hillsides, pine forests, and semi-arid scrub, grassland, as well as areas in the Atlas Mountains.
The tortoises of Eurasia and the Middle East typically inhabit dry open steppes, desolate hillsides, and wastelands with a variety of vegetation, from scrub thorn, dry woodlands, to sea dune grasses, which are located on plateaus and mountains.
Related article: Kitten with Two Heads Born in Arkansas Due to Rare Genetic Mutation