A rare two-headed Russell’s viper was rescued in Maharashtra on Thursday.The snake is 11 centimetres long, with its two heads measuring 2 centimetres each.The width of the snake is 1 centimetre.Russell’s viper is one of the most venomous snakes in India.
A Kalyan resident alerted local snake rescuers when she spotted the rare reptile outside her building on Thursday.After the reptile’s rescue.It will be handed over the snake to the Haffkine Institute in Parel.”Two-headed Russell’s Viper rescued in Maharashtra.Genetic abnormality and hence low survival rates in the wild,” IFS officer Susanta Nanda wrote while sharing a video of the snake.According to experts, the growth of two heads in the snake is due to a genetic abnormality.The survival rate of such snakes is very low.”The previous snake had died.However, this snake, currently at the Kalyan range office, looks much better,” Jitendra Ramgaokar, deputy conservator of forest (Thane), told Hindustan Times.”There are four documentations of the two-headed Russell’s viper from India, of which two were from Kalyan,” Yogesh Kamble, president, War Rescue Foundation, said.
