“I’m so happy that our two-headed girl is getting the care she needs,” said naturalist Lauren Baker
A two-headed western rat snake named Tiger-Lily was planning to leave the Powder Valley Nature Center this month to tour Missouri until naturalist Lauren Baker discovered the snake had an “emerging medical condition.”
Baker shared on the Missouri Department of Conservation website that a few weeks ago, Tiger-Lily sneezed traces of blood while feeding. “This immediately raised a red flag with our staff and we quickly arranged for her to meet with the animal health team at the Saint Louis Zoo,” Baker wrote.
After Tiger-Lily arrived at the Saint Louis Zoo, park veterinarians discovered that the snake’s “ovaries were in preovulatory arrest.”
“Under normal circumstances, follicles would grow in the ovary, then ovulate as eggs, which would eventually be laid,” explained veterinarian Dr. Michael Warshaw.
However, in Tiger-Lily’s case, although her reproductive cycle had begun, “the follicles did not ovulate and instead continued to grow and remain static in her ovary. Over time, this led to inflammation and risk of infection.”
Tiger-Lily the two-headed snake.
Missouri Department of Conservation
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As a result, the snake underwent surgery at the Saint Louis Zoo and Veterinary Hospital’s Endangered Species Research Center on March 11 to have its ovaries removed.
“We appreciate the quick response and professional treatment of the Saint Louis Zoo,” Baker said. “I am so happy that our two-headed girl is getting the care she needs and we all wish her a safe and speedy recovery.”
Post-operative Tiger-Lily is resting outside the exhibit at the Powder Valley Nature Center until her recovery is complete, which is estimated to take a month. Tiger-Lily will then go on a Missouri tour that was planned.
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Tiger-Lily is a two-headed western rat snake.
Missouri Department of Conservation
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A five-foot-long snake was discovered in Stone County, Mo., in the fall of 2017.
“Tiger-Lily is actually a pair of conjoined identical snake twins that have never been fully separated,” the Missouri Department of Conservation reported. “Such snakes are rarely seen in the wild, in part because snakes born this way have a low survival rate.”
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“For every 100,000 snakes born, only 1 will be a two-headed snake,” according to The Reptarium. “That’s a 0.001% chance of spawning a two-headed snake.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education