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DAILY MERCURY (Mackay, Australia) 07 January 09 Unusual carpet snake is sure to turn heads (Fallon Hudson)

Two-Headed creatures often appear in nightmares or fantasy worlds, but on Tuesday morning a two-headed snake almost slithered into this world on a property at Alligator Creek.

Barbara Brooks, who breeds snakes as a hobby, was amazed when she discovered that one of her 23 snake hatchlings appeared to have multiple personalities.

Mrs Brooks said as the rest of the snakes' heads popped out of the eggs, one did not.

She cracked open the last egg to find a two-headed snake which had not survived.

“It was a shock, I had never seen anything like it before. It is a shame it was dead but I could not see it being able to live.

“It was unreal and I was amazed it had two heads.”

Mrs Brooks said snake breeding was a hobby. She has had snakes as pets around her home for more than three years.

“I only have carpet snakes, not venomous ones. I won't allow them in the house because I have little grandchildren in the house.”

Mrs Brooks said she never really liked snakes and used to tell her children to stay away from them when they were growing up. Years later she became intrigued about snakes as pets after she heard people at the Walkers Market talk about how they made great pets.

Pert, Perry and Evans Veterinary Surgeons veterinarian Rowan Pert said it was rare for a snake to be born with two heads.

In his 30 years as a vet he had never seen a two-headed snake. He said a snake with two heads would never survive in the wild.

“Snakes are not designed to have two heads - this particular snake may have had unusual food pipes or lungs,” he said.

Mr Pert said more snakes were visiting his surgery.

“They are valued highly by their owners and looking after them is important. The fact is snakes as pets are a relatively new phenomenon in Australia and breeding then is new and novel.”
Unusual carpet snake is sure to turn heads

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