2-headed snake captivating visitors at Nature Center
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BLUE SPRINGS, Missouri (KMBC) — A two-headed snake named Tiger-Lily is the latest attraction at the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs.
The snake, named Tiger-Lily, is nearly 7 years old.
“She, or they, are a two-headed snake,” Becky Plumberg, with the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center, said on Wednesday.
Plumberg says Tiger-Lily has become something of a celebrity at the nature center.
Tiger-Lily is on loan from the Shepard of the Hills preserve in Branson. She’s touring different cities in Missouri this summer, with her first stop being the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center.
“She was found as a young snake by two boys. They found her under their deck and realized it was something special,” Plumberg said.
It’s atypical for snakes like Tiger-Lily to survive in the wild because of competition between the two heads for food. Despite her unusual appearance, Tiger-Lily belongs to a common species in Missouri: the western rat snake.
Lily, the right head, tends to be a little more dominant than Tiger on the left side.
“We do have to feed both heads so that one head doesn’t think that it’s stressed and not eating,” Plumberg said. “We put a little Dixie cup over one head as we’re feeding the other.”
Despite the challenges of adequately caring for Tiger-Lily, Plumberg finds the experience rewarding.
“It’s very cool, and I mean, how many times do you get to see a two-headed snake that’s sticking tongues out at you?” she said.
Plumberg says Tiger-Lily is a particular hit with the younger visitors.
Tiger-Lily will be on display at the Burr Oak Woods Center through July.
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