Rare two-headed turtle is found on Cape Cod

Double trouble! A rare two-headed baby turtle has been discovered on Cape Cod.

The diamondback terrapin, weighing 5.2-gram, was found Thursday at a protected nesting site in Wellfleet and brought to the Cape Wildlife Center by the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.

The center shared three photos of the hatchling from different angles on Facebook, showing its two distinct heads — a rare developmental anomaly known as bicephaly.

“While we’ve encountered this unusual condition before, every case gives us another opportunity to learn more about these fascinating animals’ anatomy and physiology,” Cape Wildlife Center wrote in the post. “Our veterinary team will be closely monitoring the little terrapin as we learn more about how their two heads and bodies work together.”

Bicephaly occurs when conjoined twins fail to fully separate during development, according to National Geographic. The rare condition is most common in turtles and snakes but can occur in other animals, too.

The turtle is only the second case of bicephaly the Cape Wildlife Center has seen in the past five years. In 2021, a two-headed “McNugget-size” turtle with six legs made the internet do a double take.

Many two-headed animals die young because of physical difficulties, including competing for food or attacking each other, although reptiles tend to survive longer, according to National Geographic.

“For now, our team is monitoring this little one’s (two’s?) appetite, growth, and behavior closely,” Cape Wildlife Center wrote in its Facebook post.

Diamondback terrapins are considered a threatened species in Massachusetts, making the finding even more exciting, New England Wildlife Center CEO Zak Mertz told CBS News.

“We're looking forward to learning everything we can about these two young turtles,” Mertz said. "What I've heard from the vet team is that they are behaving normally, and both sides are looking very good.”

The wildlife center’s veterinary team has handled a variety of unusual animal cases in recent years. Last year, the team treated a screech owl that somehow ended up inside a Barnstable resident’s bathroom, CBS News reports.

In 2022, the center cared for a coyote pup after a family mistakenly thought they had found a lost puppy. A year before to that, veterinarians performed foot surgery on a goose while its mate remained nearby, watching the procedure.