Title:Two-Headed Snake Found in Louisiana Backyard Has Different Brains but Same Body

They say two heads are better than one and Tanee Janusz of Louisiana agrees. Janusz is the proud owner of a two-headed Western Rat Snake, and says the snakes' uniqueness has helped those in her community become more open and understanding of the importance of wildlife.

路易斯安那州的塔内·詹努兹(Tanee Janusz)是双头西部鼠蛇的主人，她说这个独特的宠物帮助她社区里的人们变得更加开放，更加了解野生动物的重要性。

Janusz told  Newsweek she acquired her unique pets last September thanks to her position on the board for the local Master Naturalist Program. Last fall, a friend who knew of her work with the program, asked if she would be interested in having a two-headed snake that he found in his backyard. She immediately accepted the offer and named the little guys Filo and Gumbo, an homage their New Orleans heritage.

詹努兹告诉新闻周刊，她去年9月获得了这个独一无二的宠物。去年秋天，一个知悉她工作的朋友问她是否有兴趣收养一只在他后院里发现的双头蛇。她欣然接受了这个建议，并给小家伙命名为菲洛和古博，一对有着新奥尔良传统的名字。

According to Janusz, she could tell the snakes were likely only a day or two old before she got them because one of them still had an  egg tooth. This appendage is not really a tooth, but rather a sharp tip at the end of some snakes' noses that helps them to get out of the shell during hatching. They are a non-venomous breed.

据詹努兹说，她大概过了一两天才辨认出这个宠物的，因为其中一只蛇还拥有一颗蛋牙。这种附属物并不是一颗牙齿，而是一种锋利的尖端，它帮助蛇在孵化过程中摆脱壳体。它们是一种无毒的繁殖体。

The snakes were found last September in a Louisiana backyard.   Tanee Janusz

这些蛇是去年9月在路易斯安那州的一个后院发现的。

The two-headed deformity occurs slightly more often in snakes than other animals, but is still quite rare, happening in about one in 10,000 births,  WSLS reported. The deformity results when the developing embryo does not properly separate, resulting in a snake with two heads and two brains, but one body.

据WSLS报道，双头畸形在蛇身上发生的频率比其他动物略高，但仍然十分罕见，发生在大约每万例分娩中。发育中的胚胎没有正常分离时，出现畸形，导致蛇头两头，大脑两头，而身体各一人。

Janusz said her new pets are surprisingly popular in the local community.

詹努兹说，她的新宠物在当地社区非常受欢迎。

"In my community it's often said that the only good snake is a dead snake"  Janusz told  Newsweek.  "They [the community] are just very pro kill to the unknown."  Janusz said these snakes are helping to change attitudes in her community and helping those who encounter them to be more open to the wonder of wildlife.

“在我的社区里，人们常说，唯一的好蛇就是死蛇”，Janusz对新闻周刊说，“他们（社区）对未知者非常亲近。”詹努兹说，这些蛇有助于改变她社区的态度，并帮助那些遭遇它们的人更愿意面对野生生物的奇迹。

See all of the best photos of the week in these slideshows

The snakes share a body but have different heads and two distinct brains.   Tanee Janusz

这些蛇有共用身体但却有两个头部和两个不同的大脑。

"The best thing is just letting people look at them,"  Janusz said.  "Their exceptionality makes people lower their guard down a little bit and makes them more open to talking about them."

“最好的事情就是让人们看它们，” 詹努兹说：“它们的独特性使得人们更愿意谈论他们。”

The snakes share the same digestive and respiratory tract, but Janusz said that caring for these unique pets is not very different from caring for ordinary snakes.

这些蛇有着相同的消化道和呼吸道，但詹努兹说，照料这些独特宠物与照料普通蛇并没有什么不同。

"The only difference is making sure that their water bowl is not too deep as the dominant head will drag the non-dominant head down into the water,"  Janusz explained.

“唯一不同的是确保他们的水碗不会太深，因为主头会把不占主导地位的头拖到水里，”詹努兹解释说。

Despite their odd anatomy, Janusz is confident they will have a lifespan similar to ordinary snakes of this breed—10 years in the wild and 20-25 years in human care.

尽管有些古怪的解剖，亚努兹相信它们的生命周期与这种动物的普通蛇类相似，在野外有10年，在人类护理方面有20-25年。

Tanee Janusz holding her pet two-headed snakes, Fil and Gumbo.   Tanee Janusz