Rare 2-Headed Venomous Snake Found In NoVA Yard Dies

WOODBRIDGE, VA — The mutant two-headed copperhead snake found by a northern Virginia resident in a flower bed about two months ago has died. Wildlife experts cared for the rare viper in hopes that it could be transferred to a zoo. But a reptiles and amphibians specialist for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries had warned that such animals have a tough time surviving in the wild because the two heads want to take different actions, which complicates feeding and flight from attackers.

Early in September, the young Eastern Copperhead was found in a yard in Woodbridge. It was about two weeks old at that point and 6 inches long; it should grow to 18 to 36 inches in length.

State herpetologist J.D. Kleopfer noted the creatures's death on social media, The Washington Post reports. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the snake to die.

“Sad news. Our little buddy peacefully passed away last week,” Kleoper wrote, the newspaper said. The snake died for "no apparent reason, just found dead one morning.”

Kleopfer had picked up the snake from the homeowner, and on Sept. 20, brought it to the Wildlife Center of Virginia for radiographs. Even then, center officials posted that such rare snakes don't live long, but if it survived plans called for it to be placed in an educational facility."

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The examination found that the snake's left head was more dominant; it was more active and responsive to stimulus. Radiographs showed the snake had two tracheas [the left one is more developed], two esophaguses [the right one is more developed], and the two heads share one heart and one set of lungs.

"Based on the anatomy, it would be better for the right head to eat, but it may be a challenge since the left head appears more dominant," Wildlife Center staff posted in September.

Stephanie Myers found the snake in her neighbor's flower bed, and shared photos of it with USA Today. "I wanted to look away but couldn't stop looking at it. Plays trick on the eyes," she told the newspaper.

Photo of copperhead used with permission of The Wildlife Center of Virginia