Two-headed kingsnake
Written by: CJ Kazilek
Illustrated by: Dr. Biology

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Ectotherm: an animal that controls its body temperature using outside sources... more

Embryo: the egg after fertilization and before it has developed into a recognizable form.

Legend: a popular story handed down from earlier times.

Myth: a story not based on fact or a natural explanation. Often dealing with supernatural beings or events.

Reptile: is a lung breathing, egg laying animal that is covered by scales or horny plates... more

X-ray: a photograph taken of the inside of the body using a special type of light... more

Two-headed King SnakeIt was Sunday night, 1993. This may have been a usual night except this Sunday was Halloween and what happened was ASU's most famous reptile died. A Common Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula californiae, but this snake was anything but common. From the title of our story, you may have guessed that our snake, or maybe we should call it snakes, had two heads. A condition called polycephaly.

Spooky, you say? Our two headed friend had already lived 17 slinky and to some creepy years before that Halloween night. But to give up the ghost when demons and dragons are running about, even if the demons and dragons are costumes filled with children, it was just weird!

Such a serpent also makes you think of myths. Is it possible that the legends of dragons especially the two headed kind came from previous two headed snakes? Maybe the accidental finding of a two-headed dragonskeleton of another two headed snake lead people to make up stories of mythical flying dragons. What do you think?

 If you visit ASU you may want to stop by the snake collection, which includes a fair-skinned, pink-eyed albino rattlesnake, an albino gopher snake and maybe the ghost of our long time friend, the two headed snake. The reptile collection is located on the first floor of the Life Sciences Building (A Wing). The exhibit can be viewed by the public Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Bibliographic details:

  • Article: The Tale of the Two-Headed Lampropeltis getula californiae
  • Author(s): CJ Kazilek
  • Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
  • Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
  • Date published: September 28, 2009
  • Date accessed: November 13, 2024
  • Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/two-headed

APA Style

CJ Kazilek. (2009, September 28). The Tale of the Two-Headed Lampropeltis getula californiae . ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved November 13, 2024 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/two-headed

American Psychological Association. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

Chicago Manual of Style

CJ Kazilek. "The Tale of the Two-Headed Lampropeltis getula californiae ". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 28 September, 2009. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/two-headed

MLA 2017 Style

CJ Kazilek. "The Tale of the Two-Headed Lampropeltis getula californiae ". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 28 Sep 2009. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 13 Nov 2024. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/two-headed

Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/
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