A pair of environmental consultants found a rare two-headed timber rattlesnake in New Jersey and put their heads together to come up with the perfect name.
The nearly 2-ounce snake was found in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey by two men named Dave, who both work for Herpetological Associates of Burlington County, according to ABC News affiliate WPVI.
This small species of a venomous pit viper is a particularly rarity with two fully formed heads, four eyes and two tongues but a single body.
Herpetologist Dave Schneider said that they decided to name the 8-to-10-inch snake “Double Dave,” since he found it with a colleague by the same first name.
Because double-headed snakes move slowly, they can be easy prey and rarely survive in the wild.
The CEO of the environmental consulting firm, Bob Zappalorti, told WPVI the company maintains an extensive collection of endangered snakes, including rattlesnakes.
While Schneider has decades of experience handling and raising snakes, he had never dealt with a two-headed snake before.
Two-headed snakes have been reported to live as long as 15 to 20 years in captivity.
