Diamondback terrapins are a threatened species in Massachusetts

NEED TO KNOW

• A rare two-headed turtle was found in Cape Cod
• It marked the first such discovery in five years
• “Our veterinary team will be closely monitoring the little terrapin as we learn more about how their two heads and bodies work together,” the Cape Wildlife Center in Cape Cod said

A rare two-headed turtle was found in Cape Cod — marking the first such discovery there in five years.

The Cape Wildlife Center in Massachusetts wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, Sept. 17, that a diamondback terrapin hatchling with two heads was brought to its facility by the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. 

The 5.2-gram hatchling has a rare developmental anomaly called bicephaly, a condition in which an animal has two functional heads on a single body. 

“Talk about a double take!! Our veterinary team will be closely monitoring the little terrapin as we learn more about how their two heads and bodies work together,” the wildlife center wrote alongside a photo of the rare turtle on social media.

“We’ve only seen two other bicephalic cases in the last 5 years, making this still an especially rare case for our team,” the Cape Wildlife Center continued.

In photos of the terrapin hatchling, the turtle appears to be roughly the same size as the width of two fingers.

Diamondback terrapins are officially listed as a threatened species under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA).

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“While we’ve encountered this unusual condition before, every case gives us another opportunity to learn more about these fascinating animals’ anatomy and physiology,” the Cape Wildlife Center’s post continued.

“For now, our team is monitoring this little one’s (two’s?) appetite, growth, and behavior closely,” the organization added.

In October 2021, the New England Wildlife Center discovered another rare diamondback terrapin hatchling that had two heads and six legs.

Compared to the most recent two-headed turtle, that animal appeared to have a more distinct split between the two “twins.”

The wildlife center said on Facebook at the time that the reptile “hatched from a protected nesting site in Barnstable” and had been “brought to the hospital by Barnstable department of natural resources for assessment.”

“Similar to conjoined twins in human[s], they share parts of their body but also have some parts that are independent,” the New England Wildlife Center continued.

“Animals with this rare condition don’t always survive very long or live a good quality of life, but these two have given us reason to be optimistic,” the post added.

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