You’re my flavorite! Gruesome moment two-headed snake named Ben and Jerry eats two mice using both of its mouths at the same time
- A video shows a two-head snaked consume a pair of mice for a meal
- Each head grabs a mouse, both of which were already dead, and slowly chomps down
- The snake is a result of bicephaly, which occurs from the incomplete splitting of an embryo
An incredible video captures the moment a two-headed snake called Ben and Jerry devours two mice in each of is fanged mouths.
Reptile enthusiast Brian Barczyk shared the clip to his Instagram account, which shows each of the heads slowly chomping down on a pair of dead mice.
The two-headed reptile is the result of a phenomenon known as bicephaly, which occurs from the incomplete splitting of an embryo.
This process also leads to conjoined twins in humans, although snakes and turtles are more commonly found with two heads and one body.
Ben and Jerry is a California Kingsnake and is one in 10,000 snakes that were born with two heads.
‘99.9% of two headed animals never see their first birthday, but once they survive to adulthood, which Ben and Jerry are, they usually live a full life, Barczyk told DailyMail.com in an email.
‘We expect them to live 20-25 years.’
An incredible video captures the feasting of two-headed snake named Ben and Jerry. Reptile enthusiast Brian Barczyk shared the clip to his Instagram account, which shows each of the heads slowly chomping down on a pair of dead mice
The video shows each head separately consuming its own meal during the feeding event, but the snake has only one digestive system.
Barczyk, who has been collecting reptiles since 1989 and founded The Reptile Army, purchased the four and a half-year-old snake three years ago from a friend.
‘A friend produced them. It is a freak of nature and totally unexpected. It took me 1 1/2 years of begging before he sold them to me,’ he told DailyMail.com.
The video also shows the snake eating baby mice, which Barczyk says is because the two heads will overload their food intake if allowed.
Ben and Jerry are a California Kingsnake and is one in 10,000 snakes that were born with two heads
Barczyk also works at the reptile zoo ‘The Reptarium,’ in Utica, Michigan, which is home to thousands of reptiles and one sloth. Left is ‘Salt,’ an albino alligator and right is a two-headed turtle
Barczyk also works at the reptile zoo ‘The Reptarium,’ in Utica, Michigan, which is home to thousands of reptiles and one sloth.
‘We have about 10 one-of-a-kind animals including Ben and Jerry, also a two headed turtle, and several one-of-a-kind albino and other color mutations,’ said Barczyk.
‘We also have albino alligators and a rare all black alligator. Their names are Salt and Pepper.
While Ben and Jerry have spent their life in captivity, another two-head snake was found slithering in the wild lands of Florida.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) shared images last October of the rare snake on its Facebook page, saying it was found slithering around a home.
While Ben and Jerry have spent their life in captivity, another two-head snake was found slithering in the wild lands of Florida. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) shared images last October of the rare snake on its Facebook page, saying it was found slithering around a home
‘A rare two-headed southern black racer was recently found at a residence in Palm Harbor by Kay Rogers and family,’ read the post.
‘Both head’s tongue flick and react to movement, but not always in the same way.
‘Two-headed snakes are unlikely to survive in the wild as the two brains make different decisions.’
Officials say the snake will remain in captivity because it makes different decisions with having separate brains that inhibit its ability to feed or elude predators.