Baby 2-headed turtle hatchling discovered by South Carolina turtle patrol

 Baby 2-headed turtle hatchling discovered by South Carolina turtle patrol

We thought we had seen it all during this very busy season on Sea Turtle Patrol! Yesterday on patrol during a nest inventory this bicephalic hatchling was discovered. This mutation is more common in reptiles than in other animals but it is still very rare. As with other live hatchlings found during a nest inventory, this hatchling was released to the ocean. Good luck to Squirt and Crush!

Some people are upset that the critter was released, since it probably won't be able to survive given that it cannot swim. What would you have done, and why?

A group that monitors sea turtles in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, has reported finding a two-headed Loggerhead hatchling.

News outlets report Sea Turtle Patrol Hilton Head Island says the hatchling was found alive Tuesday and released into the ocean.

The group’s leader, marine biologist Amber Kuehn, says a genetic mutation caused the second head on the turtle, since named Squirt and Crush.

The group shared a picture of the turtle on Facebook on Wednesday that showed the creature’s small body partially eclipsed by a gloved hand. The post wished the turtle good luck. Kuehn says Crush and Squirt couldn’t really swim, as the heads controlled separate flippers and weren’t working together.