Rare Two-Headed Snake Discovered in Casper

Snakes are born with two heads about one in 100,000 times. In other words, there was a .001% chance that Brian Wagner would find one in his garage just north of Casper in Edgerton.

A writer for the Casper College Chinook documents discovery, noting that the two heads appeared to be operating separately and there didn't seem to be a "dominant" head.

Wagner donated the snake to the college. Biology Instructor Charlotte Snoberger said,

“'They each stuck out their tongues separately, and they each opened their heads separately.'"

"'I don’t know if there was a dominant one. There’s one that kind of lined up more with the body'" chronicles the Chinook.

The snake survived for about four months, which research shows is exceptional for such a creature.

Animals with two heads don't usually survive long. Bodily organs working to serve two heads puts an animal under undue stress, greatly reducing its lifespan.

“'But, I’m a herpetologist. I’ve worked with a lot of snakes, a lot of wild snakes, and I’ve definitely never seen anything like that,' Snoberger said."

“'They both looked perfect. And they were both clearly alive, you know,' Snoberger said. 'They were both clearly functioning'" to the Chinook.

The snake is being preserved in ethanol and kept at the college. It will be made available for viewing by next semester.

Two Headed Snake Symbolism

Images of two headed snakes are found in hieroglyphs, Mesoamerica art, along with Christian and Hebrew texts.

Some say the two headed snake symbolizes renewal, rebirth, transformation and energy, due to the snake shedding its skin.

In Greek mythology it usually represents duality, opposing forces, and the ability to see two sides of an issue.

Further, it's been interpreted as a sign of bad luck, chaos, or a potential threat.