Felix the Cat
01-04-2006, 08:22 AM
Two-headed snake for sale (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17723040-13762,00.html)
http://network.news.com.au/image/0,10114,5092864,00.jpg
ST LOUIS: One snake. Albino. Has two heads. Asking $US150,000 or best offer.
The World Aquarium in St Louis has been home to We, a one-of-a-kind two-headed albino rat snake, since 1999.
Aquarium boss Leonard Sonnenschein has decided to sell the reptile, and bidding on eBay will start at $US150,000 ($205,000).
"It's an amazing snake," Mr Sonnenschein said yesterday. "When people see it they are awe-struck."
The six-year-old reptile came to the aquarium's attention when its previous owner offered it for sale days after its birth.
The aquarium paid $US15,000, knowing that most two-headed snakes do not live more than a few months.
But We has survived and thrived.
At 2.5cm thick and 1.2m long, she is a healthy size for a rat snake. While her body is white, the two heads have a reddish appearance.
Mr Sonnenschein said We had survived because, unlike some two-headed animals, both mouths were connected to the same stomach.
Van Wallach of Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology said We should live for 10 to 15 more years. And Mr Sonnenschein said it was at a ripe age for breeding.
"We expect the sale of We to be onthe same level of demand as a priceless art object," he said.
The snake has been in the spotlight before. In 2004, a disgruntled City Museum worker stole it. Authorities found We at the man's home in Illinois.
"He thought he was going to sell it," Mr Sonnenschein said. "The thing is, it's the only one in the world." AP
http://network.news.com.au/image/0,10114,5092864,00.jpg
ST LOUIS: One snake. Albino. Has two heads. Asking $US150,000 or best offer.
The World Aquarium in St Louis has been home to We, a one-of-a-kind two-headed albino rat snake, since 1999.
Aquarium boss Leonard Sonnenschein has decided to sell the reptile, and bidding on eBay will start at $US150,000 ($205,000).
"It's an amazing snake," Mr Sonnenschein said yesterday. "When people see it they are awe-struck."
The six-year-old reptile came to the aquarium's attention when its previous owner offered it for sale days after its birth.
The aquarium paid $US15,000, knowing that most two-headed snakes do not live more than a few months.
But We has survived and thrived.
At 2.5cm thick and 1.2m long, she is a healthy size for a rat snake. While her body is white, the two heads have a reddish appearance.
Mr Sonnenschein said We had survived because, unlike some two-headed animals, both mouths were connected to the same stomach.
Van Wallach of Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology said We should live for 10 to 15 more years. And Mr Sonnenschein said it was at a ripe age for breeding.
"We expect the sale of We to be onthe same level of demand as a priceless art object," he said.
The snake has been in the spotlight before. In 2004, a disgruntled City Museum worker stole it. Authorities found We at the man's home in Illinois.
"He thought he was going to sell it," Mr Sonnenschein said. "The thing is, it's the only one in the world." AP