Credit: Unsplash
Discovering a creature with two heads is a rare occurrence that often indicates a genetic anomaly. Such a phenomenon challenges the norm of one head per body observed in the majority of living beings. However, nature occasionally presents us with extraordinary cases, as seen in a two-headed turtle found recently.
In West Barnstable, Massachusetts, animal researchers came across a diamondback terrapin turtle nest in a risky location and decided to relocate it to a safer area. To their surprise, upon inspecting the nest, they encountered not one or two turtles, but a unique creature with two heads and six legs, with each head controlling three legs. This turtle resembles conjoined twins, where each head functions as a separate entity, capable of independent actions like thinking, breathing, and eating.
A rare two-headed turtle is being cared for by the veterinary staff at New England Wildlife Centers.
The cute diamondback terrapin hatchling, found at a protected nesting site in Barnstable, has two heads and three legs on each side. ? https://t.co/jqMhssHSie
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) October 12, 2021
The unique turtle was carefully transferred to the Birdsey Cape Wildlife Center for monitoring and research. The two heads have been affectionately named “Mary-Kate and Ashley.” Despite their unusual condition, the twins are thriving and enjoying a diet of worms, steadily gaining a healthy weight. Surprisingly, the twins demonstrate remarkable mobility, using their individual legs independently and even swimming and surfacing for air separately. The future of releasing them back into the wild remains uncertain, but the center is committed to providing care for as long as needed.
