Reptiles Experts Left Horrified After Discovering Poisonous Mutant Reptile In New Jersey
The study of reptiles, also known as herpetology, truly scares me to the bone, but there are people who do this for a living. They conduct research on dangerous reptiles because science believes there’s so much humans can learn from them. Apart from general knowledge, the study of reptiles helps scientists gain valuable insight into our planet’s ecosystem and aid in the production of new medicine to help treat various human diseases. One such organization that researches reptiles is the Herpetological Associates.
Founded in 1977, their mission is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of endangered species and plants. Also located in New Jersey, the organization assesses the presence of deadly snakes living close to civilization and once spotted, trained employees are sent to capture the reptiles for further research. They’ve so far dealt with northern copperheads and timber rattlesnakes, both extremely deadly and capable of causing excruciating pain and even death. But none were prepared for what they were about to see in August 2019.
Scientists Dave Schneider and Dave Burkett, who work with Herpetological Associates, were conducting research and taking photographs of baby rattlesnakes in Pine Barrens, New Jersey when they came across a mutant reptile that blew their minds. Burkett was busy clicking photos of baby snakes in a popular snake breeding area when suddenly, through his lens, he saw a mutant reptile with a petrifying deformity.
He immediately alerted Schneider and both agreed they had never seen anything like this before. While the reptile appeared healthy despite its deformity, the scientists feared for its future in the wild. Keeping in mind the dangers it could face, the scientists applied for a special permit under the endangered species law and once permitted, they captured it and brought it to Herpetological Associates.
This isn’t the first time the world has seen reptiles with deformities. In May 2019, a three-eyed snake was captured in Australia, which sadly passed away due to its deformity. What the two scientists had captured was a baby timber rattlesnake and due to its deformity, it was twice as dangerous, twice as poisonous and twice as deadly. They were looking at a deadly snake with two heads, each working independently.
The 10-inch long snake, now called Double Dave, had two pairs of eyes and two forked tongues – meaning that while they shared a body, each head had it’s own will to follow. Double Dave also had two working brains – if one head wanted to go left and the other decided to go right, they would fight and the head that lost followed the winner. Double Dave’s deformity is the cause of an incomplete embryo split that resulted in conjoined twins.
Just weeks before Double Dave was spotted, a two-headed snake was photographed in Bali. Experts agree that reptiles with deformities become easy targets for predators. Then again, caring for such reptiles can be extremely challenging, with most dying due to their deformities. Having said that, Double Dave is surprisingly healthy with a good digestive system, and scientists are hoping it will survive more than 15 years in captivity.
