An unsuspecting local in Waco has come across a rare double-headed rat snake on slithering in her backyard.
According to Associated Press, the woman discovered the snake when her dog started to bark and chase "something" under her porch. Following the sighting, she immediately contacted the Cameron Park Zoo.
In an interview with local news KWTX, the zoo's amphibian and reptile animal care manager, Brian Henley, said the snake which is estimated to be six to eight weeks old only must be subjected to an X-ray to check if its internal organs are fine.
"So far it is doing great. It's eating and drinking. We will see what it's like when it starts to shed but we have no reason to think that it wouldn't survive. So I think we're pretty good with it."
Officials at the zoo shared a photo of almost a foot-long snake on their Facebook page. They also gave an update saying that the two-headed snake will be quarantined and once ready, will be on display in the Brazos River Country exhibit.
"We have gotten the rat snake to eat and it seems to be doing well. Snakes have a mandatory 90 day quarantine, so it will be a while until it goes on exhibit. We will keep you updated, though!" the caption read.
Snakes born with two heads happen the same way Siamese twins are born to humans, National Geographic notes. The report added that it could be difficult for both heads as they have to think alike to perform daily routines, including eating.
"They also have a great deal of difficulty deciding which direction to go, and if they had to respond to an attack quickly they would just not be capable of it," Gordon Burghardt, a herpetologist at the University of Tennessee told National Geographic.
In some cases, when one head sniffs the scent of food on the side of the other head, it will attack and swallow the second head.
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