Tiger-lily underwent a successful surgery March 11. She won't be on display for the month until she fully recovers
Tiger-Lily, a two-headed Western rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus) who has been at the the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Powder Valley Nature Center in Kirkwood as her home at the Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Center goes through a renovation, will remain at the MDC to recover after surgery to remove her ovaries.
MDC Naturalist Lauren Baker noticed traces of blood during her feeding last week and immediately scheduled an appointment with veterinarians at the St. Louis Zoo. They discovered that Tiger-Lily’s ovaries were in pre-ovulatory stasis and had to be removed.
“Under normal circumstances the ovary would grow follicles, then ovulate them as eggs to eventually be laid. In Tiger-Lily’s case she began the reproductive cycle, but the follicles did not ovulate and instead continued to grow and remain static in her ovary. Over time this led to inflammation and the risk of infection,” Dr. Michael Warshaw, Staff Veterinarian at the Saint Louis Zoo said in a press release put out by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Two-Headed Western Rat Snake Makes Temporary Debut At Missouri’s Powder Valley Nature Center
Rat Snakes Of The United States
Tiger-Lily underwent a successful surgery March 11. She won’t be on display for the month until she fully recovers. When she does, she will travel MDC’s Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center in Kansas City, and barring any other health issues, will continue on a tour of MDC sites. Her home at the Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Center is still under construction.
“We appreciate the Saint Louis Zoo’s quick response and expert treatment. I am so happy that our two-headed gal is getting the care she needs, and we’re all wishing her a safe and speedy recovery,” said Baker.
“The Saint Louis Zoo and MDC have a long history of partnering together for the care of Missouri’s native wildlife and we are happy to have played a part in caring for this exceptional animal,” reports Dr. Chris Hanley, Director of Animal Health at the Saint Louis Zoo.
Tiger-Lily was found in the wild by a family in southwest Missouri about six years ago. The family named the snake and then brought it to the Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Center, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. The snake has grown to nearly five feet in length in those six years, and likes to eat. But because she has only one esophagus, the folks who feed her put a cup over one head while the other eats, and then they switch and feed the other head.
Western Rat Snake Information
The Western rat snake is also known as the black rat snake and is found in central North America west of the Mississippi River. They are diurnal and can be found in a range of habitats, including prairies, rock outcrops, wooded areas and bayous. They can grow to about six feet in length. They are widely captive bred and can live more than 15 years in captivity.
Two-headed Snake Information
Two-headed snakes are rare but not uncommon. They are said to live a shortened life in the wild due to the fact that they have two heads, which may inhibit their defenses when faced by predators. Cases of captive-born two-headed snakes occur almost every year. They are definitely cool snakes. Nicolas Cage is reported to have purchased a two-headed snake gopher snake for $80,000. That snake, named after the Batman villain Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, was donated in 2008 to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Harvey died at the zoo at age 14.
