A rare two-headed wolf snake was rescued from a farm in Agaswani village, Dhanpur taluka, Dahod district, Gujarat, on 6 October 2026. The non-venomous snake is about 6 inches long and has two heads, four eyes and a single body. It is the first recorded case of a two-headed snake in Gujarat and the fifth reported case in India.
Rescue and recorded cases
Members of the Dahod Prakruti Mitra Mandal rescued the snake and handed it to the Forest Department for care and observation. The snake is estimated to be between six months and one year old, and both heads reportedly function independently. It is the third documented case in India of a wolf snake with bicephaly.
Bicephaly in snakes
Bicephaly is a developmental abnormality in which an animal has two heads. In snakes, the condition can involve two heads attached to one body, with each head having its own eyes and other head structures. The condition is believed to occur in about one in a million snakes. Two-headed snakes may have difficulty surviving in the wild because their heads can act independently and make conflicting movements.
Wolf snakes and their classification
Wolf snakes are non-venomous snakes; many species commonly known by this name belong to the genus Lycodon. The genus is part of the family Colubridae, a large family of snakes found across many regions of the world. The exact species of the rescued snake was not specified. Snakes are reptiles in the order Squamata, which also includes lizards.
Important Facts for Exams
- Bicephaly is a developmental abnormality involving two heads on one animal.
- The rescued snake was found in Dhanpur taluka of Dahod district, Gujarat.
- The snake was handed to the Forest Department for care and observation.
- Many wolf snakes belong to the genus Lycodon in the family Colubridae.
The rescued snake is non-venomous and approximately 6 inches long. The discovery is the first recorded case of a two-headed snake in Gujarat and the fifth reported case in India.</final
