Two-headed cobra discovered on Chinese farm by snake breeder

IF YOU are afraid of snakes, this is the stuff of your worst nightmares. A farmer cleaning empty snake shells made a rare find.

Pic shows: The cobra with two heads. A longtime snake breeder discovered the stuff of nightmares when he found a cobra on his farm that had been born with two heads. And he said incredibly although it does not eat or drink, it is still alive and growing. Huang Pan, a snake breeder of 10 years in Yulin city of south China’s Guangxi region, said he found the two-headed Chinese cobra (Naja atra) when cleaning empty snake shells. The second "head" appears three-quarters of the way up the snakes body, with both appendages able to move independently. Mr Huang noted that he took a strong interest in the rare snake ever since it hatched, but he fears it may not live too longer as it had not eaten or drunk anything since birth. Mr Huang decided that, for the sake of the snake, he would hand the animal over to the city zoo in the provincial capital Nanning who he hopes may be able to help it. Zookeeper Li Keqi said at the time of the report: "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." He added: "But despite the snake’s 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, has been reported numerous times amongst snakes. However, most polycephalic snakes have a short lifespan, while those in captivity have reportedly lived longer, including a 'rat snake' (Colubrinae) with separate throats and stomachs that survived for 20 years. (ends)

IF YOU are afraid of snakes, this is the stuff your nightmares are made of.

A veteran snake breeder made the discovery of a two-headed snake on his farm in Yulin — a city of south China’s Guangxi region.

Huang Pan was cleaning empty snake shells when he found the two-headed Chinese cobra.

After noticing the snake had not eaten or drunk anything since birth, Mr Pan took the snake to the city zoo in the provincial capital Nanning.

Just hanging around, bro.

Zookeeper Li Keqi said he was honoured to accept the snake into his care and was doing his best to care for it.

“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,” he said.

“But despite the snake’s 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.”

The condition of having two heads, known as polycephaly, has been reported numerous times among snakes.

However, most polycephalic snakes have a short lifespan.

It may look like two snakes, but it’s just the one.