WORLD
FOSSIL OF TWO-HEADED REPTILE FOUND IN CHINA
Dr Eric Buffetaut from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, said that the fossil was the result of a mutation called axial bifurcation. The mutation is relatively well-documented in living reptiles. However, this is the first fossilised example found. Dr Buffetaut said that there are numerous reports of two-headed lizards and serpents in Aristotle and other ancient writing. "There have been around 400 reports of two-headed snakes going back into antiquity, but that is not a great deal when you think of the number of snakes that must have lived."
The creature comes from the choristodera family of reptiles, which evolved crocodile-like characteristics. The choristodera were aquatic reptiles that fed on small prey in rivers and swamps, but also lived on land. "Two-headed creatures have two brains, which more or less work independently, which is one of the reasons it woul be difficult to survive," he said. "There is a report of a two-headed snake where one head bit the other off."