Two-headed snake that eats from both mouths celebrates 16th birthday in Missouri

A rare two-headed snake may prefer mice over birthday cake, but that’s not deterring Missouri wildlife officials from throwing her a party.

That’s because “it’s quite the feat for a female black rat snake with four eyes, two tongues, and two brains to survive 16 years,” the Missouri Department of Conservation Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center said.

She also has zero names, an employee with the nature center confirmed to McClatchy News.

Conjoined snakes like this two-headed western black rat snake are born in about one in every 100,000 births, naturalist Alex Holmes said in a department news release.

When two-headed snakes are born in the wild, they likely won’t survive for long.

“In the wild, those that survive probably wouldn’t be able to escape predators due to their body’s lack of dominate leadership,” Holmes said.

Fortunate for this four-eyed snake, she lives at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center and is defeating all the odds.

To celebrate her 16 years of survival, the center is hosting a “Ssssweet Sssixteen Birthday Party” from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4, at Cape Girardeau Nature Center.

“These twins can’t pass a driver’s test but they can celebrate,” the event invite says. “Slither on over to the nature center to join in!”

Party-goers will be able to “visit her in all her uniquely-conjoined reptile glory while playing games, making crafts, and enjoying refreshments to celebrate her special day.”

Missouri Department of Conservation’s Tuesday Facebook post about the party captured lots of attention, garnering over 100 comments and almost 400 shares in two days.

“Attending a Sweet Sixteen party for a two headed snake sounds very ‘me,’” one person wrote.

“That is a double ‘NO’!!!” another person replied.

The department also answered the most popular questions.

“The snake eats from both heads,” a wildlife official said, and they are usually fed dead mice.

While she has two heads, there is only one digestive system.

“We feed both heads to keep them both active and both brains stimulated,” the wildlife expert replied. To ensure both sides get to eat, wildlife experts slip a cardboard tube over one head while the other gets a turn to eat, and then they switch.

This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Two-headed snake that eats from both mouths celebrates 16th birthday in Missouri."