Fact check: Image of seven-headed snake is an old hoax
The claim: Image shows a seven-headed snake that was discovered in Honduras
In the age of flying snakes and pets bringing in two-headed reptiles, an old hoax about a seven-headed snake has recently resurfaced on social media.
"The Bible spoke of seven headed serpent it was found in honduras," reads the caption of a Facebook post accompanied by an image of the alleged seven-headed snake.
The user who shared the photo has not returned USA TODAY's request for comment.
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Photo is edited and a hoax
The image of the snake that has been circulating online is actually a photo of a normal snake that has been manipulated throughout the years.
The original photo was taken in 2010 and has since been edited many times to depict a three-headed snake, a four-headed snake and an eight-headed snake, according to The Daily Moss.
Sites such as Indy100, Snopes and the Hoax-Slayer have all debunked the photo throughout the years.
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Polycephaly and snakes
Polycephaly is a condition where an embryo that has begun to split into identical twins stops before it fully divides, leaving the twins joined.
According to National Geographic, snakes can also be joined at other places on their bodies "just as Siamese twins can be joined at the head, breast, or hip," and captive inbreeding may cause two-headed births.
Two-headed snakes typically have one head that is more developed than the other and the heads are known to fight each other over food, The Guardian reported.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently wrote on Facebook that two-headed snakes are "unlikely to survive in the wild as the two brains make different decisions that inhibit the ability to feed or escape from predators."
Our rating: False
The image does not show a seven-headed snake discovered in Honduras. The original photo is of a single-headed snake that has been manipulated numerous times throughout the years, and while there are rare cases of two-headed snakes, it does not go beyond that. We rate this claim as FALSE.
Our fact-check sources:
The Daily Moss, Dec. 20, 2019, These Indian Snake Hoaxes Have Once Fooled The Internet. Sheshnag – Oops!
Indy100, Nov. 16, 2016, If you've ever shared one of these images, you need to delete it immediately
Snopes, Nov. 26, 2013, Does This Photograph Show a 7-Headed Snake?
Hoax-Slayer, Dec. 27, 2017, Fake Three (Or Seven) Headed Snake Image
National Geographic, March 22, 2002, Life Is Confusing For Two-Headed Snakes
The Guardian, Sept. 6, 2019, Rare two-headed snake nicknamed 'Double Dave' is found in US
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Oct. 21, Facebook statement
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Image of 7-headed snake is an old hoax
