At two-and-a-half, she鈥檚 not quite like others her age. Noticeably small, she鈥檚 less than half the size of her peers and has an odd way of moving, bobbing from side to side as though she doesn鈥檛 know where to go.
But it鈥檚 her second head that鈥檚 the most notable difference.
Named after one of three Greek Gorgons with poisonous snakes in place of hair, Medusa, the gold dust motley corn snake may not turn gazers to stone, but she is a head-turner.
Owned by business partners Darcie Stiller and Amber Quiring, Medusa has been with the pair since birth. However, she鈥檚 been living in their downtown pet shop, the , since it opened Sept. 1.
鈥滱mber was incredibly excited about the two heads,鈥� says Stiller, recalling the day Medusa was born. 鈥淏ut I was a bit more reserved,鈥� she continues. 鈥淚 had seen this once before, and that one only lived three days out of egg. I got excited when she hit six months, I really believed she would survive. She鈥檚 like one in a million.鈥�
Medusa鈥檚 condition is called dicephalism, which is a form of polycephaly: the condition of having more than one head.
鈥淭o put it simply, (she鈥檚) an example of conjoined twins,鈥� explains Dr. Mike Geen, a veterinarian at . 鈥淲ithin a single fertilized egg, the cells undergo repeated divisions (that) would normally lead to two separate embryos, (or) identical twins. If the timing of cell division is off, it can lead to a conjoined twin.鈥�
Dicephalic reptiles are rare, Geen continues, but they鈥檙e more commonly reported than in mammals and birds, particularly with snakes, turtles, and tortoises. He says anecdotal estimates range from 1 in every 1,000-10,000 captive snakes being born or hatching with two heads.
Neurologically speaking, a snake brain is somewhat rudimentary, meaning it鈥檚 unlikely Medusa would鈥檝e survived had she been born in the wild.
鈥淗er jaw doesn鈥檛 open like a normal snake鈥檚 would,鈥� Stiller adds. 鈥淗er bottom jaw can鈥檛 separate (horizontally) because the other head鈥檚 there.鈥� And as such, Medusa鈥檚 feed can never be increased in size. 鈥淣ormally you increase the prey size once there鈥檚 no food lump anymore, but we can鈥檛 do that with her. Chronologically, she鈥檚 an adult, but she鈥檚 being fed on a baby schedule ,鈥� explains Stiller as she cradles Medusa in her hands.
Dr. Geen agrees. 鈥淗aving two-heads means two-brains competing to control one body, which would make it very difficult to co-ordinate normal movement required for hunting, and escaping and would likely predispose the snake to being taken by a predator.鈥�
The average life span of a wild corn snake is only about eight years, but, snakes born in captivity can live into their late teens, or 20s. 鈥淚 read a story about a conjoined snake that not only bred several healthy clutches, but lived until she was more than 18,鈥� adds Quiring.
鈥淎s long as there are no developmental abnormalities to the internal organs,鈥� says Geen, 鈥渢wo-headed reptiles can live a happy life.鈥�
And that鈥檚 exactly what Stiller and Quiring have in store for their two-headed snake. While Medusa鈥檚 a definite attraction, spending her days wowing customers and passers by, Medusa has a life-long home. 鈥淲e鈥檒l never sell her, she鈥檒l stay with us forever,鈥� says Stiller.
