Report of a Dicephalic Steppes Ratsnake (Elaphe dione) Collected in South Korea

초록

In this report, we describe morphological characteristics of a dicephalic Steppes Ratsnake (Elaphe dione) collected from the wild in 2011 in South Korea. The specimen has two heads and two long necks. Unlike normal individuals, the dicephalic snake has divided ventral scales under the necks of the bifurcated columns. The snoutvent length (SVL) and overall total length of the individual are shorter than those of normal snakes of the same age. Nevertheless, the counts of nine different scale types that are often used for classification are all within the ranges of normal individuals. As far as we know, this is the first detailed morphological description of a dicephalic E. dione in the scientific literature.

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