Tiger-Lily, Missouri's rare two-headed snake, suffered from an unusual medical condition that led experts to perform major surgery. The reptile was attempting to leave the Department of Environmental Conservation's Powder Valley Nature Center.
A team member faced health concerns after a rare western rat snake started sneezing blood, according to a press release from the Missouri Department of Environmental Conservation.
“This immediately raised red flags with our staff and we quickly scheduled her for an appointment with the St. Louis Zoo’s animal health team,” Lauren Baker, a naturalist at MDC, said in a news release.
Officials discovered that her ovaries were in a state of “preovulatory stagnation.”
“Under normal circumstances, the ovaries grow follicles, which then ovulate into eggs, which ultimately produce a baby.” new york post The report quoted Dr. Michael Warshaw, a veterinarian at the St. Louis Zoo, said:
He also added: “In the case of Tiger Lily, the reproductive cycle began, but the follicles did not ovulate and instead continued to grow and remained stagnant in the ovaries. Over time, inflammation develops and the risk of infection increases.”
St. Louis Zoo experts decided to remove the abnormality, and the rare two-headed snake is recovering under expert supervision.
“We are grateful to the St. Louis Zoo for their quick response and expert care. We are so happy that our two-headed daughter is receiving the care she needs. We all wish her a safe and speedy recovery,” Baker said.
“The Tiger Lily is actually a pair of conjoined identical snake twins that are not completely separated,” MDC officials said, adding, “They are rarely seen in the wild, in part because of the low survival rate of snakes born this way.”