Veterinarians are taking care of a special turtle in Cape Cod (Massachusetts) in the United States. The chicken tumor-sized diamond back has two heads and six legs.
“No, you do not see the duplication,” writes the New England Wildlife Center, a local animal organization Facebook. “This diamondback terrapin actually has two heads.” The young animal was found at a protected nest construction site in Massachusetts and taken to a nearby animal hospital.
In principle, this is not about a turtle, but about twins that grew together in an egg. Just like humans, congenital twins share certain body parts. An X-ray showed that the animals were attached to each other on their backs and that they both had separate digestive systems. The twins “integrate” together while swimming so they come into the air just in time.
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Turtles perform surprisingly well. “Animals in this rare condition often do not live long, but we are optimistic about this animal,” writes the Wildlife Center. “They have been with us for two weeks now. They are bright and active. They eat, swim and grow every day.” Experts believe the twins work together to explore their environment.
So the New England Wildlife Center is optimistic, but it is exciting. They carefully monitor the condition of the turtles and hope to do more research as they grow a little.
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