/ 16 August 2006

Two heads are better than one

Aquarium officials in St Louis in the United States hope an exhibit that opens next week and runs until September 5 will earn a Guinness World Record for the most two-headed animals on display, according to a media report.

So far, the World Aquarium at the City Museum has lined up 10 two-headed snakes and turtles, including ”We”, the aquarium’s rare albino two-headed rat snake, the St Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The other nine animals are owned by a private owner.

And if a local reptile dealer with a two-headed snake adds his to the exhibit, the head count would rise to 22, the newspaper reported.

”It should be a huge two-headed party,” aquarium president Leonard Sonnenschein told the newspaper.

Sonnenschein said he would like to mate one of the snakes, a two-headed albino rat snake named ”Golden Girls”, with We.

The aquarium has been trying to breed We since failing to sell the snake online in January. Officials had hoped it would bring $150 000, but there were no bidders and two subsequent offers were under $50 000. — Sapa-AP