Park rangers in Australia could hardly believe their eyes when they came across a wild snake with three active peepers on its head.
The snake, a carpet python ( Morelia spilota ), has a third eye on its forehead. David Penning, an assistant professor of biology at Southern Missouri State University who was not involved in the snake’s case, said the condition is extremely rare.
“Until today, I have never seen a snake with three eyes,” Penning told Live Science via email. “I’ve seen snakes with two heads [and] some strange facial deformities but nothing like this.” [See 15 Crazy Animal Eyes – Rectangular Students Come wild colors]
Rangers from the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission (NTPWC) found the wild triclops, which they named Monty, on the highway near Humpty Doo, a small town about Darwin about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast in late March. (The snake died last week, when it was about 2 months old, according to news reports.)
Non-venomous carpet pythons, native to Australia and New Guinea, can grow up to 9 feet (3 meters) long, but this snake is small – only about 16 inches (40 cm) long, suggesting it is a python child. NTPWC said in a Facebook post.
Curious, the rangers took an X-ray of the snake. The images obtained showed that the snake did not have two separate heads joined together as rangers suspected. “Rather, it appears to be a skull with an additional eye socket and three still functioning eyes,” NTPWC wrote in the post.
This deformity may have occurred early in the snake’s embryonic development, they said, adding that it could be a “natural occurrence, as deformed reptiles are relatively common” rather than due to environmental factors, such as pollution.
It’s impressive that this snake even saw the light of day. Penning said sometimes mother snakes eat “bad” eggs called “slugs” after laying them. Furthermore, snakes born with deformities, such as spinal problems, often die after a few days, he said.
What’s even more surprising is that the eye still seems to work. “Deformities rarely lead to normal function,” Penning says. “When you think about the complexity involved in the skull and neural tissue, there’s a lot more going on here than just that new eye.” For example, it’s likely that this third eye will need a third eye. nerves, which would certainly complicate the brain’s typical structure, he said.
Could this third eye give snakes an evolutionary advantage? Even that is difficult to say, Penning said.
“Perhaps a third eye will allow for broader vision,” he said. “However, how much does it cost to develop? Does it really help much in increasing the survivability of those who possess it?”
Penning said he has seen snakes survive with just one eye, “so perhaps two eyes are overkill,” he noted. So when it comes to having three eyes, “I would say it’s a disadvantage because it will cost more than the benefit of having it.”
According to Northern Territory News, this assessment coincides with reports from rangers who found that Monty had difficulty eating because of his deformity. This may have played a role in his death. His remains are kept at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization center in Darwin.
Monty isn’t the only animal known to have extra eyes. Genetically modified scarabs hatched in the lab sometimes grow a third eye, and fossil evidence indicates that an ancient lizard that lived about 49 million years ago had four “eyes” – two on average. normal and two eye-like photosensitive structures on its head.
