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'Exceptional' Two-Headed Snake Undergoes Surgery in Missouri


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A rare two-headed snake was taken into surgery after recently sneezing up blood, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).

The bizarre reptile, a two-headed western rat snake named Tiger-Lily, was in the care of the MDC Powder Valley Nature Center when she was seen sneezing "traces of blood" during a feeding earlier this month.

The snake was then rushed to veterinarians in the Animal Health Team at the Saint Louis Zoo, who discovered that Tiger-Lily's ovaries were in pre-ovulatory stasis.

This is a condition where the ovaries are in a state of temporary suspension or inactivity before ovulation, and is a common illness in reptiles. The ovary starts to grow follicles in preparation for them to mature into eggs and be ovulated, but sometimes something can go wrong, leaving the follicles attached to the ovary. These follicles can then become infected and inflamed, or even rupture, making the reptile very unwell.

"Under normal circumstances the ovary would grow follicles, then ovulate them as eggs to eventually be laid. In Tiger-Lily's case she began the reproductive cycle, but the follicles did not ovulate and instead continued to grow and remain static in her ovary. Over time this led to inflammation and the risk of infection," Michael Warshaw, a staff veterinarian at the Saint Louis Zoo, said in a statement.

Tiger-Lily's abnormal ovaries were then removed during surgery at the Saint Louis Zoo Endangered Species Research Center and Veterinary Hospital on March 11. The procedure went smoothly, with her ovaries being successfully removed, and the snake is recovering well.

"We appreciate the Saint Louis Zoo's quick response and expert treatment. I am so happy that our two-headed gal is getting the care she needs, and we're all wishing her a safe and speedy recovery," MDC naturalist Lauren Baker said in the statement.

According to the Saint Louis Zoo, Tiger-Lily was found in Stone County in 2017 and is very rare due to her two heads. This is known as bicephaly and can be caused by a number of developmental issues. In Tiger-Lily's case, she was a pair of twins that became conjoined and never fully separated. This condition has been seen across the animal kingdom, from bulls and sharks to turtles and kittens, with even rare cases of bicephaly being seen in humans.

two headed snake
Two-headed snake Tiger-Lily is seen. The snake was operated on to treat her pre-ovulatory stasis. Missouri Department of Conservation

This phenomenon, however, is more commonly seen in reptiles than in mammals due to the process of embryonic implantation in mammals often "fact-checking" for abnormalities. Animals and humans with this condition rarely live very long, meaning that snakes like Tiger-Lily are not often seen in the wild.

The medical incident delayed the reptile's departure from the MDC Powder Valley Nature Center, which was planned for March 18. She will now recover at the Saint Louis Zoo, and will travel to the MDC's Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center in Kansas City after she has recovered.

"The Saint Louis Zoo and MDC have a long history of partnering together for the care of Missouri's native wildlife and we are happy to have played a part in caring for this exceptional animal," Chris Hanley, the director of animal health at the Saint Louis Zoo, said in the statement.

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