Two-headed snake under quarantine in Antalya
İbrahim Laleli ANTALYA – Doğan News Agency
A young two-headed snake found by a farmer in the Black Sea province of Giresun has been brought to Antalya and is being kept under quarantine at a reptile house.The snake, which belongs to genus Coluber, is being kept in a special room, where the heat and the humidity are kept constant at 27 degrees Celsius and 55 percent, respectively, with the help of a computerized system.
Cüneyt Alpgüven of Fear Trophy reptile house noted that two-headed snakes are not very common and they have a little chance of surviving in the wild.
“Being two-headed is a major disadvantage for this animal, because its anatomical structure makes it more vulnerable to attacks while it also draws the attention of predators,” he said.
“It is currently two weeks old and we expect it to be 20 centimeters long in a few months,” he added.
Özgür Ereldi, the caretaker of the snake, said it is constantly monitored and a special feeding system is used.
“Since the snake has two heads, its neck is thinner than the normal,” Ereldi said.
“Snakes swallow their prey in full and then digest it. Hence we feed this snake in small portions,” he added.