Two-headed Animals We Saw in 2021 and How it’s Not an Uncommon Phenomenon – News18

In the age of fake videos and photos, it is very difficult to believe what is real especially when you spot an oddly-shaped animal eg: a two-headed snake. The most common observation in this category of animals thathave exceptional physical appearance are two-headed turtles, snakes and cow. We have heard of two-headed animals in legends, myths and folk tales, but it is a common occurrence in real life too. This mind-blowing developmental abnormality is known as bicephaly or dicephaly. Over the years there have been various reports related to two-headed creatures. According to Abc News, the phenomenon of two-headed animals has been around for at least 150 million years. Mutation occurs when the DNA gene is damaged or changed in such as a way that it changes the message carried by that gene.

Recently,a two-headed snake found in Odishas forests has left wildlife enthusiasts and experts stunned. The serpent was spotted in the Dhenkikot forest range of Keonjhar wildlife sanctuary in Odisha State by Rakesh Mohalick. After being identified, the rare snake was released back into the wild. The newly-born snake has been identified as a Wolf Snake, which is a non-venomous species.

Here is the photo:

Another strange-looking reptile was rescued from outside a locals house in Maharashtra. The 11 cm-long, rare two-headed Russells Viper was found in Kalyans Gandhare Road area on the outskirts of Mumbai. The heads measure 2 cm each and they belong to one of the most venomous snake species found in India. Kalyan resident Dimple Shah found the baby snake in front of Ritu Rivers Building and immediately contacted the War Rescue Foundation, reported Mumbai Live.

The video of the snake was shared on Twitter by IFS officer Susanta Nanda, who said, Two headed Russells Viper rescued in Maharashtra. Genetic abnormality and hence low survival rates in the wild (sic)."

Here is the video:

In another interesting case, two online delivery platform partners were arrested for allegedly trying to sell a two-headed Sand Boa, The duo, identified as Mohammad Rizwan and Azar Khan, procured and tried to sell the non-venomous snake under the cover of delivery persons of Dunzo, Bengaluru Joint Commissioner of Police Sandeep Patil said.

While Dunzo is doing good job of door delivery of essentials during the lockdown, some misusing it & doing illegal things. CCB arrested two accused who under the cover of Dunzo delivery boys, procured and tried to sell two-headed snake (Sand Boa) prohibited under Wildlife Protection Act," Patil said in a

statement.

Here is the photo:

Another two-headed snake has surfaced online, with each head swallowing a rat. The video is not for the faint-hearted.Brian Barczyk, a wildlife enthusiast and prominent YouTuber, recently uploaded a video showing two-headed snake devouring two mice at the same time. Two-headed Ben and Jerry eating," he said while uploading the video, which has left many people astonished and others interested. The video shows each of the snakes heads functioning separately to consume two mice, NDTV reported.

Here is the video:

Going further from snakes, the next two-headed animal notice in 2021 was a cow.Residents of Odishas Nabarangpur witnessed a cow giving birth to a calf with two heads and three eyes. Surprised by this development, many villagers begun worshippingthe animal as Durga Avatar as it was born during Navratri,said areport by India Today.

The calf was born in Bijapara village of Nabarangpur district in Odisha. The report mentions that the cow was owned by Dhaniram, a farmer of Bijapara village of Kumuli panchayat.

Here is the video:

India Today reports that when the cow went into labour, she was having some trouble delivering the calf. After the calf was delivered, Dhaniram examined the infant and realized that the calf was born with two heads and three eyes. Since the unique calf was born during the occasion of auspicious Navratri, people in the villagestarting considering the animal a form of goddess Durga.

In an another case, in a village of Dholpur district in Rajasthan, villagers were in for a shock when a buffalo gave birth to a two-headed calf. As per a report from Zee News, the newborn calf has two mouths, two necks, four eyes, and four ears. The baby buffalo has become the talk of the town, as people from neighbouring villages thronged to see the rare calf with a birth defect.

Two-headed animals can result from the incomplete splitting of embryos. In addition, two heads result from factors that cause malformation of developing embryo which can also be genetic or environmental.Are two heads better than one? The answer is no, according to A-Z Animals. Two-headed animals usually have an oddly-shaped body that has difficulty moving through the natural terrains. Also, these animalshave trouble getting nutrients to their brains.

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Two-headed Animals We Saw in 2021 and How it's Not an Uncommon Phenomenon - News18