Two Heads are Cuter Than One, Rare Two Headed Terrapin

Unusual Animal Rescue/Discovery

Barnstable, Massachusetts Cape Wildlife Center has a very special turtle species that hatched recently, and it (they) could not be cuter! The diamondback terrapin was born at the Barnstable nesting site and wildlife hospital according to boston25news. This is a rare opportunity for scientists to find out more about this rare condition called bicephaly.

Bicephaly in Animals

Bicephalic animals are highly unusual and rarely survive and thrive. An animal can be born with two heads due to genetic or environmental factors that act on the embryo’s development according to reporting by boston25news.com. The turtle born with two heads is being studied closely by scientists at the wildlife center. The good news is that the diamondback turtle(s) is/are doing well. They are gaining weight and eating well. They can swim and move around well. X-rays show the spines have fused and it was determined that each head had control of three of the legs and that the right side of the terrapin is more developed.

The rare find

I was just saying I wonder if anyone will find an all-white lobster when I read about this remarkable turtle. I think a two-headed turtle might be a rarer find. Happily, the turtle was discovered and is getting excellent and care and hopefully, it is discovered to be a genetic anomaly and not an environmental one. I hope we don’t find a human cause of the two-headed diamondback terrapin. If you do see something like this in the wild, contact your local wildlife center. The more discoveries we make, the more we learn about our environment.

Speaking of rare...