WAYNESBORO, Va. — A wildlife and conservation research hospital says a two-headed snake recently found near the nation's capital may be sent to an educational facility.
The Wildlife Center of Virginia said the two-headed eastern copperhead was found in a northern Virginia neighborhood last week. It said a state herpetologist brought the snake to the hospital Thursday for an examination.
A hospital release said the two heads were found to have two tracheas and two esophagi, but share one heart and set of lungs. The Charlotte Observer reported that state biologists believe both heads are capable of biting and distributing venom.
State herpetologist J.D. Kleopfer wrote in a Facebook post that two-headed snakes are extremely rare because "they just don't live that long." He said he hopes to donate the snake to a zoo.
Last year, an electric worker in Arkansas found a two-headed snake outside a home on Arkansas 248.