{"id":542078,"date":"2010-04-23T14:02:06","date_gmt":"2010-04-23T18:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/green.yahoo.com\/blog\/guest_bloggers\/35\/two-headed-lizard-whose-heads-hate-each-other-discovered-in-australia.html"},"modified":"2010-04-23T14:02:06","modified_gmt":"2010-04-23T18:02:06","slug":"two-headed-lizard-whose-heads-hate-each-other-discovered-in-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/542078","title":{"rendered":"Two-headed lizard whose heads hate each other discovered in Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"two-headed-bobtail-lizard.jpg\"
\nPhotos via Metro<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Check out this bizarre two-headed bobtail
\nlizard that was discovered a couple of days ago in Perth Australia! Also, it turns out that the
\nheads hate each other, and the larger one keeps attacking the smaller
\none. <\/p>\n

The bobtail lizard is a type of skink lizard commonly known as a
\nShingleback in the great down under. Occurrences of two headed large vertebrates surviving in the wild are infrequent to say the least — the lizard’s two heads are the result of a rare genetic mutation.<\/p>\n

It’s been rescued and is being
\ncared for at a reptile park in Henley Brook. The
\nwildlife biologists say it’s doing well, but note that two-headed
\nlizards don’t typically have very long life expectancies. You know,
\nbecause of the whole two head, one body thing. Here’s an x-ray of
\n the creature: <\/p>\n

\"two-headed-lizard-x-ray.jpg\"<\/p>\n

The BBC has
\n more details<\/a>: the two headed lizard “apparently eats
\n from both heads but the larger head has also tried to attack the
\nsmaller one, and its movement is difficult as both heads control its
\nback legs. It also has a healthy sibling without any mutation. Bobtails
\ngive birth to live offspring, rather than laying eggs.” <\/p>\n

\"two-headed-lizard.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Given that we just had Earth Day<\/a>, we’re all aware that global climate change is
\ncontinuing largely unabated. Deforestation may have slowed some but is
\nstill a colossal issue, endangered species are dropping like flies and
\nwater is running out all over the place. <\/p>\n

But this two-headed lizard is still neat-looking.<\/p>\n

Brian Merchant covers politics for TreeHugger<\/a>,
\n where a version<\/a> of this post originally appeared.<\/em> <\/p>\n

More
\nfrom TreeHugger<\/strong><\/p>\n