Two-headed snake keeps defying odds — even after health scare, Missouri officials say
A two-headed snake that has defied all odds was supposed to head from Kirkwood to Kansas City late last week, but a serious health scare sent her to surgery instead, Missouri officials said.
The Missouri Department of Conservation raised a “red flag” when Tiger-Lily, the two-headed rat snake, “sneezed up traces of blood during a feeding.” She was quickly taken to the St. Louis Zoo to see the animal health team.
Veterinarians found an issue with the snake’s ovaries, officials said in a March 15 news release.
Her ovaries were in a preovulatory stasis, officials said.
“Under normal circumstances the ovary would grow follicles, then ovulate them as eggs to eventually be laid. In Tiger-Lily’s case she began the reproductive cycle, but the follicles did not ovulate and instead continued to grow and remain static in her ovary,” veterinarian Michael Warshaw said.
This caused inflammation and put Tiger-Lily at risk for infection, according to Warshaw.
The best treatment, according to the veterinarians, was to surgically remove the malfunctioning ovaries.
The two-headed snake had a successful surgery in St. Louis on March 11 and has been “doing well” in recovery, officials said.
Tiger-Lily was discovered in 2017 by a southwest Missouri family, McClatchy News reported.
She had a 1-in-100,000 chance of being born, according to officials, and she continues to beat the odds of survival at 6 years old.
The snake has thrived in captivity since she’s able to be monitored and be free from predators.
For instance, she’d have trouble eating if it weren’t for zoo staff, according to officials.
“We have to keep the heads separate when they are eating,” MDC Interpretive Center Manager Alison Bleich said in 2021. “Since they share the same throat, it wouldn’t be good for them to both eat a mouse at once or to try to swallow the same mouse.”
Tiger-Lily won’t be on display during her month-long recovery, but officials say she will be at Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center in Kansas City to continue her statewide tour once she’s ready.
“We appreciate the Saint Louis Zoo’s quick response and expert treatment. I am so happy that our two-headed gal is getting the care she needs, and we’re all wishing her a safe and speedy recovery,” MDC Naturalist Lauren Baker said in the release.
Kirkwood is about a 15-mile drive southwest from St. Louis.
This story was originally published March 22, 2024 at 11:58 AM with the headline "Two-headed snake keeps defying odds — even after health scare, Missouri officials say."
