SEEING DOUBLE - A TWO HEADED TURTLE BORN AT TEXAS ZOO
The San Antonio Zoo in Texas has welcomed a bizarre new addition - a two-headed turtle named Thelma and Louise. The female Texas cooter was born with four others on June 18 and is now on display at the zoo's Friedrich Aquarium - swimming and walking as normally as her one-headed brothers and sisters. Zoo spokeswoman Debbie Rios-Vanskike said that the turtle appears healthy and that staff do not predict her condition will cause any future health problems. The two-headed critter was named Thelma and Louise after the female duo in the 1991 Oscar-winning road movie of the same name. Craig Pelke, the curator of reptiles, amphibians and aquatics at the zoo, said that seeing bicephalic animals is uncommon, but it is not unheard of in the wild or in captivity. The condition is most common among snakes and turtles. 'At this time, Thelma and Louise are doing well on exhibit and eating with both heads,' Pelke added. Speaking to JewishNewsOne, he added that the turtle has a 'split' personality. 'The right side was looking around very curious and the left side was trying to bite me,' he said. The San Antonio Zoo is no stranger to two-headed reptiles. The facility was home to a two-headed Texas rat snake named Janus from 1978 until the creature's death to 1995. The condition has been seen among other species, too. In March, a two-headed shark was found by a fisherman in the Gulf of Mexico when he opened the uterus of an adult shark. In April, a two-headed pig was born in China. And earlier this month, a two-faced cat named Deucy was born in Oregon but later died from underlying health conditions.
Other great stories
GOING IN FOR THE GILL
NEVER mind being careful not to choke on your food, this mother bird has a bigger challenge on her hands, as her ravenous offspring impatiently launches its head down into her stomach .
ADORABLE OWL EMBRACES THE 'RUNNING MAN' CHALLENGE
SKIPPING on the spot, an adorable little owl embraces the 'running man' challenge .
SPECTACULAR SCENERY AT CHILEAN OBSERVATORIES
An Italian photographer travelled to Chile where he visited several star-gazing sites, home to some of the world's most advanced telescopes, located in the spectacular setting of the Atacama desert .
MINI BONZAI MODELS - TREE-MENDOUS
These are the fascinating pictures of miniature table sculptures molded around bonsai trees that take up to a painstaking 18 months to create .
ADORABLE SQUIRRELS PREPARE FOR EASTER BREAK
Scurrying along the branch of a tree, a little squirrel pushes a pram packed full of Easter treats .
SCHOOL BULLIES WON'T STOP BIRTHMARK TEEN'S HOLLYWOOD DREAM
A teenager bullied for having birthmarks all over her body now hopes to become a Hollywood actress to show girls that beauty comes from being unique .
EYE-OPENING INSIGHT INTO KENYA’S LARGEST DUMPING GROUND
PILES of trash provide a living for thousands in Nairobi, Kenya .
‘WORLD’S SMALLEST CINEMA’ IN OAP’S HOUSE
Pic By HotSpot Media - ‘WORLD’S SMALLEST CINEMA’ IN OAP’S HOUSE -IN PIC- AN OAP film buff has brought the big screen to his home and built the world's smallest cinema in his BEDROOM .
HUNDREDS OF HOT AIR BALLOONS DECORATE TURKISH SKY
HUNDREDS of hot air balloons decorate the sky above Turkey as the rising sun illuminates the spectacular scenery below .
DAREDEVIL DINING: THE 160FT HIGH RESTAURANT
Suspended FIFTY metres in the air, this is the last place that you would expect to find a fine dining experience .
PUPPY RUN OVER BY TRAIN GIVEN NEW LEASH OF LIFE
A tiny puppy who lost his front legs after being hit by a train has been given and new LEASH of life with a set of wheels .
TRANS WOMAN'S £100K TRANSFORMATION FUNDED BY ONLINE FANS
A transgender woman has revealed how she was able to fund her transformation using £100K gifted to her by online admirers .