The two-headed timber rattlesnake is about 10 inches in length. It is currently being nursed back to health.
A man in Arkansas found a live, two-headed timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) near a community college in Arkansas.
The snake, also known as a cane break rattlesnake, or banded rattlesnake, is young, about 10 inches in length, and with the exception of having two heads, seems to be normal. Mark Young posted a photo of the snake on Facebook, and the image went viral. Young told THV 11 that he is not the person who found the snake, he just took the photo. Young said Rodney Kelso, District Two manager at Woodruff Electric is the person who found the reptile. It was found near the East Arkansas Community College in Forest City, Arkansas.
"It's not doing too well right now. Obviously two heads, two minds might have been thinking different things. With predators it's easy to get to want to do two different things, Keith Stephens of Arkansas Game and Fish told THV 11. "The gentleman who found it has donated it to the nature center in Jonesboro and we're trying to nurse it back to health right now."
Once it is healthy, it will displayed at the Jonesboro Nature Center in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
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The timber rattlesnake is a heavy bodied snake that is known to be passive and slow moving. In the eastern United States, the snake can be found in forests, meadows and rocky hillsides, while in the southern part of the country, the snake inhabits tall grasses. Issues facing this species includes the snake fungal disease, agriculture, habitat destruction, and human development.
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.