Have you ever seen conjoined turtles? Why do we always think that conjoined animals are uncommon?

Humans have conjoined twins, but it seems that we rarely hear of such cases in animals. However, this does not mean that there are no cases of conjoined twins in animals. It is just that most animals live in the wild and the living environment is harsh. It is difficult for the individuals to survive after being conjoined, so we rarely see conjoined animals.

X-ray of conjoined twins, image source: Wikipedia

In fact, ever since humans began raising animals (whether for livestock breeding or rescue in zoos), cases of conjoined animals have occurred from time to time. For example, conjoined lambs have appeared on many ranches.

Image source:vipanimalcare

Some time ago, a pair of conjoined turtles were hatched at a wildlife center in Massachusetts. Their bodies (including their shells) were connected, but they had independent heads and limbs.

Conjoined sea turtles, photo courtesy of New England Wildlife Center

According to the Wildlife Center, the conjoined turtles are diamondback terrapins, which are native to the northeastern and southern United States. They are one of the most widely distributed sea turtles in North America, with their range extending south to the Florida Keys and north to Cape Cod.

Diamondback terrapins are widely distributed in North America. Image source: gbif

The name of the diamondback terrapin refers to the pattern on the top of its shell. Its shell color ranges from brown to gray. The body color can be gray, brown, yellow or white. There are distinctive black markings on the body and head. The shell of male individuals can grow to 13 cm in length, while that of females can reach 19 cm.

Diamondback terrapin, image source: gbif

According to the Wildlife Center, the conjoined diamondback terrapins are currently thriving. They are very active, alert to their surroundings, and appear to be in good condition.

Generally speaking, conjoined twins have a shorter lifespan and a lower quality of life, but these two little guys seem to be doing just fine overall.

Genetic or environmental factors that affect embryonic development may lead to "dicephaly", in which the bodies of two individuals are connected but the heads are separate, making them appear to share one body.

Reports of animals with dicephaly are very rare (because such special individuals are unlikely to survive), but in addition to these two two-headed turtles, other known cases of dicephaly include a two-headed venomous snake found in Virginia, a dead two-headed deer found in Minnesota, and a two-headed dolphin accidentally caught by fishermen.

Two-headed rattlesnake. Photo credit: Bob Zappalorti/Herpetological Associates

This pair of conjoined fawns has two heads and two hearts. Photo credit: Gino D'Angelo et al/University of Georgia

Conjoined dolphins accidentally caught by Dutch fishermen, photo courtesy of nationalgeographic

The conjoined turtles were hatched in a protected nesting site and have been cared for by a wildlife center. They have now survived for more than two weeks.

By taking X-rays, staff at the wildlife center found that the conjoined turtles had separate spines, but the two vertebrae seemed to be fused together at the back of the body.

During the first few days of hatching, the conjoined turtles get their nutrition from the same egg yolk and have their own independent digestive tracts, but one of them seems to have a more developed stomach and intestines, but both turtles can eat and digest food regardless.

At present, the two conjoined turtles can swim to the water surface to breathe in a coordinated manner. They eat and swim normally, and their weight is gradually increasing.

The researchers said that once the conjoined turtles grow up a little more, they will conduct more physical examinations to understand their shared internal organs and their respective body structures.

Hopefully, this rare pair of conjoined turtles can grow up well.

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