Man, this kid doesn't know how lucky he is:
CENTERTOWN, Ky. - Hunter York was afraid of snakes, but he couldn't resist the two-headed reptile he found. Hunter, 10, said he picked up the black king snake with a stick, then noticed it grabbed the stick with both heads.
"I ran in the house and said, 'Dad, this snake has two heads.' And he said, 'What?'" Hunter said...
The 8 1/2-inch female reptile hasn't eaten since Hunter found it Oct. 4. Hunter's father, Rodney York, loaned the snake Tuesday to Bowling Green snake hobbyist Scott Petty to see whether he could induce it to eat...
York said he jokingly named the snake Mary-Kate and Ashley, because those were the first names of twins that came to mind. York said he's considering a brief stint in show business for the snake once he learns more about it.
"If they're that rare, I'm going to hit up (talk-show hosts David) Letterman, (Jay) Leno and everybody I can think of," he said. "I'm going to milk it for all it's worth."
Such snakes are indeed rare, not least because they don't survive in the wild for long, and often require special care to be kept in captivity (the heads will sometimes fight over food). The San Diego zoo, for example, has had only two of them, one of which is still alive (the former one, Thelma and Louise, is featured in all her glory here, and I've seen the current one, a little black-and-white gem of a California King, in person).
Interestingly, almost every two-headed snake of which I am aware (yes, I keep track of such things) has been a king or a corn snake (an exception is here; the Spanish snake is a member of the Elaphe genus). Whether it's just because those types of snakes are very common in this country (where it might be more likely to be reported to the media), or whether those species are more susceptible to producing Siamese twins, I don't know. I'm not sure if any two-headed snakes that have ever been discovered were venomous.
Anyway, I'd never go the fame route - but I'd sure as heck auction a rare little beauty like that off to a zoo or reptarium, where it would be properly cared for.
Posted by kswygert at October 17, 2003 12:02 PM