A double take in Cape Cod: Rare two-headed turtle found after 5 years

A rare two-headed diamondback terrapin hatchling has been found in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, marking the first such discovery in the area in five years, according to a PEOPLE magazine report.

The 5.2-gram hatchling was brought to the Cape Wildlife Center by the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary after being found at a protected nesting site in Wellfleet.

The turtle has a rare developmental anomaly known as bicephaly, 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 Cape Wildlife Center wrote in a Facebook post on September 17.

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

Photos show the hatchling is roughly the width of two fingers. Diamondback terrapins are listed as a threatened species under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act.

“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 said.

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

The latest discovery is not the first two-headed diamondback terrapin found in Massachusetts. In October 2021, the New England Wildlife Center discovered a hatchling with two heads and six legs.

That turtle appeared to have a more distinct separation between the two “twins”. At the time, the wildlife centre said the reptile had “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 said.

“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,” it added.