Caregivers at the Cape Wildlife Center, located in Barnstable, Massachusetts, in the United States, thought they saw double at the end of September, when they were brought a diamondback aquatic turtle… which had two heads!
The specimen, which belongs to this North American species, suffers from a rare anomaly called bicephaly, which affects the embryo during its development due to genetic and/or environmental factors. It was discovered after hatching from an egg at a protected nesting site in Barnstable.
A “Siamese” tortoise
Result: the two-headed turtle is in a state similar to that of Siamese twins in humans, with shared body parts and independent parts.
In the case of our tortoise, there are two heads and six legs. Caregivers took the turtle for X-rays, which revealed that two spines merge further into the body. During their observations while the turtle moved and swam, they concluded that each part controlled three legs.
They further found that each “turtle” has its own gastrointestinal tract, which allows them to eat and digest food separately.
No you are not seeing double! This diamondback terrapin hatchling actually has two heads. ????????This is a condition called…
Posted by Cape Wildlife Center on Sunday, October 10, 2021
A true miracle
“Animals with this rare disease don’t always survive very long, or they don’t have a good quality of life, but these two gave us reason to be optimistic!”said the caregivers on their Facebook page.
Indeed, they report that at “their” admission, both parties were very alert and active… Many other examinations will have to be carried out when “they” have grown a little in order to learn more about this little miracle of nature !
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