Expert: Rare snake with 2 heads found in Virginia has died

WAYNESBORO, Va. – A wildlife expert says a rare, two-headed snake found several months ago in Virginia near the nation’s capital has died.

The Washington Post reports state herpetologist JD Kleopfer said in a Facebook post this week that the snake had died. He says it passed away peacefully last week for no apparent reason, and was discovered dead one morning.

The Copperhead snake was found in a northern Virginia neighbourhood in September.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia previously said in a statement that an examination of the reptile found it had two tracheas and two esophagi, but shared one heart and a set of lungs. Biologists believe both heads were capable of biting and distributing venom.

Kleopfer says two-headed snakes are rare because they don’t live long in the wild.

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Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com