Whether you're frightened of snakes or fascinated by them, an unusual creature found in Northern Virginia is worthy of your interest.
The Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro has examined a young and very rare two-headed Eastern Copperhead snake.
The venomous baby snake is alive and slithering, and its left head seems to be more dominant and active. The wildlife center took radiographs of the copperhead to learn more about its anatomy and discovered it has two tracheas, two esophaguses and a shared heart and set of lungs.
"Based on the anatomy, it would be better for the right head to eat, but it may be a challenge since the left head appears more dominant," the center said Friday.
Virginia state herpetologist J.D. Kleopfer shared a short Facebook video of the small snake wriggling around.
Kleopfer said the snake is in the care of a private reptile keeper with viper-raising experience. It may end up living at a zoological facility if it survives.
"Wild bicephalic snakes are exceptionally rare, because they just don't live that long," Kleopfer wrote. "Too many challenges living day to day with two heads."
