Meet 'Double Dave:' 2-Headed Rattlesnake Found In Pine Barrens

PEMBERTON, NJ — This creature is sure to turn some heads. An environmental agency discovered a two-headed timber rattlesnake last month.

The 10-inch newborn, named "Double Dave," has one body with two fully formed heads and two independently operating brains.

Two Herpetological Associates of Burlington County employees — Dave Schneider and Dave Burkett — discovered Double Dave when they checked out a timer rattlesnake's next Aug. 25. The timber rattlesnake gave birth last month, and the nest was in a protected area for the endangered species.

It's the first two-headed rattlesnake ever found in New Jersey, according to Herpetological Associates CEO Robert Zappalorti. A two-headed timber rattlesnake was discovered in 2009 in Alabama, he said. A breeder also discovered a two-headed baby cobra in China in 2015, according to People.

Zappalorti told nj.com the snake was probably meant to be twins but then mutated.

“It probably wouldn’t be able to survive in the wild,” Bob Zappalorti said. “As it was crawling, there’s a chance it could have gotten snagged on something, leaving it open to be eaten by predators.”

Herpetological Associates will continue taking care of the snake.

Polycephaly — the condition of having more than one head — is rare but not unprecedented in animals and humans. Multi-headed creatures are formed by the same process as conjoined twins.

Check out more two-headed animals — including sharks, pigs and whales — in the video below:

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