Ever wondered what a mutant two-headed venomous snake looks like? Wonder no more because one has been found in India.
The snake, reportedly a monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia) was found in a forest in the village of Ekarukhi, West Bengal.
Kaustav Chakraborty, a herpetologist at the local Forest Department told reporters that a team from the department had been unable to rescue the two-headed snake.
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He said that the local villagers hold 'mythical beliefs' about the two heads and therefore refused to give the animal to the team.
He added that the two heads was a 'biological issue' similar to a human 'having two heads or thumbs'.
Chakraboty said that keeping the snake in captivity with experts could help its lifespan.
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Local zoologist Soma Chakraborty said the two heads may have been created when the embryo was split or because of environmental factors.
Monocled cobras range from India in the west through to China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Nepal and Thailand.
We hope no one is going to try and get a selfie with the venomous creature, like fearless photographer Jorge Cervera Hauser did when he came across a huge green anaconda.
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Hauser, 35, who started the adventure travel company Pelagic Fleet in Baja, Mexico, spent 40 extraordinary minutes with the creature - which measured around 20 foot in length - on a breath-taking visit to Brazil.
The cameraman, who also swims with great white sharks regularly and has been featured by many of the world's leading nature magazines, somehow managed to keep his cool when he made his scaly encounter with the anaconda in the Formoso River, despite being perfectly aware that the species was considered the largest snake in the world, weighing in at up to 40 stone.
He said: "The green anaconda I photographed, which is the largest anaconda species in the world, was around six metres long. I was not scared since I am used to hanging around with large predators underwater.
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"Actually, she was very shy and trying to avoid us most of the time, which came as a bit of a disappointment. What I enjoy the most about photographing wildlife up close is the natural curiosity animals develop towards you, and the interaction that comes as a result - but it wasn't easy to get this big girl's attention.
"I have been diving with sharks and other large predators for over 10 years now. I feel really comfortable and I have learned over the years how to read them and how to behave around them."
Featured Image Credit: CENTopics: News, Weird, Animals, India