Rare Two-Headed Turtle Found on Cape Cod

The Cape Wildlife Center is examining a hatchling diamondback terrapin with a rare developmental anomaly — bicephaly — reports infohub.kz.

Volunteers found the tiny reptile, weighing just 5.2 grams, on a protected nesting site in Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. An examination revealed that both of the turtle's heads are fully functional: they respond to their surroundings and show appetite.

Using X-rays, wildlife center specialists determined that the animal has two independent respiratory systems and two esophagi leading to a single gastrointestinal tract.

Veterinarians are now monitoring the growth, behavior, and motor coordination of the unusual hatchling. Bicephaly is extremely rare in reptiles, but this is not the first such case on Cape Cod in recent years. Diamondback terrapins are protected in Massachusetts as a vulnerable species, making the find particularly valuable to researchers.

Veterinarians plan to conduct a CT scan to study the turtle's circulatory system. If the animal can develop without complications and learn to coordinate the actions of both heads, it will be released into the wild; otherwise, the reptile will remain under constant observation in captivity.