Two-headed snake given to nature center

This two-headed black rat snake was found by Cody Kneir of Delta. (Fred Lynch) [Click to enlarge]

One boy's discovery will be used to educate the public on rare animals. A two-headed black rat snake was donated to the Cape Girardeau Conservation Campus Nature Center on Thursday.

Ten-year-old Cody Kneir discovered the snake in a tree stump while searching for eggs and snakeskins in his back yard in Delta. The snake scared him, he said, but only for a moment. The next day he showed the snake from class to class in his school. His mother, Marilyn Kneir, called the nature center on Thursday.

Cody's snake is about one week old at a little longer than 12 inches, said educational specialist Jeremy Soucy, who admitted to diving into research once he heard about the snake. He wanted to ensure its survival.

Siamese snakes are common, but only one in four hatch. Adult two-headed snakes are rare.

"Either way, Cody did a great thing. It would have died in the wild," he said.

Cody's snake has two independent brains that share all the vital organs.

Eating is a hassle. While one head tries to eat, the other tries to move away. Sometimes they viciously compete, Soucy said.

"If I get them to eat something the first time, then they should be OK," he said.

If it survives, the snake will be out for educational demonstrations but will not be on display. Cody is welcome to visit the snake whenever he wants, Soucy said.

"We just don't know if we want to call it a snake or snakes," he said.

Cody calls them Jeffrey and Jeffrey the Great.

jmetelski@semissourian.com