A snake rescue in Gujarat revealed a wolf snake hatchling with two heads, four eyes, and one body — the first reported two-headed snake in the state.
Here's what to know
The New Indian Express reported that members of Prakruti Mitra Mandal recovered the non-venomous hatchling in Dhanpur taluka of Gujarat's Dahod district and later turned it over to the Forest Department. It was the fifth such report in India.
According to Kinnar Desai, convener and rescue team leader, the team took the animal to Dahod for observation before reaching out for expert identification.
"After observing the snake, we sent its photographs to experts for identification. It was found to be a wolf snake, which is non-venomous. It is around five to six inches long and appears to be newly born," Desai said, per the outlet.
Desai said such cases are thought to occur only about once in every million snakes. The condition is called bicephaly, an embryonic developmental abnormality in which the front section does not fully split, leaving a single body with two heads or mouths.
More background
Prakruti Mitra Mandal said four similar snakes had already been documented in other parts of India — two cobras and two common sand boas, locally called varudanti. Desai said the Dahod rescue was the third known case involving a wolf snake, according to The New Indian Express.
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Even more unusual, the two heads seemed to operate independently. That could make ordinary survival tasks harder, including moving, catching prey, and feeding. Survival may still be possible if the oesophagus develops in a way that allows food to pass properly through the digestive system.
Where can I learn more?
Here are a few more stories about unusual snake discoveries, rescues, and encounters.
• In Guangxi, scientists identified a tail that mimics a second head on a newly described snake.
• In Gujarat, rescuers safely returned an Indian cobra to the wild after a home intrusion.
• In Telangana, a snake catcher bagged a cobra inside a grandparents' home before relocating it.
• Viewers struggled to decode a king cobra's behavior after a puzzling video spread widely.
• Across India, rising temperatures are linked to more snakebites and mounting public health risks.
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