Researchers at Michigan State University have confirmed that a two-headed bull shark discovered in 2011 is, in fact, exactly what it appears to be — one shark with two heads, and not a pair of conjoined twin sharks. I mean, I guess I thought we could tell that just by looking at how freaky it is, but hey, good to know, right?
You wouldn’t think it would be too complicated to tell if a shark has two heads, right? I mean, you look at the shark and either it’s got one head, and is only as frightening as sharks usually are, or it has two heads and is magnitudes of order more frightening than a shark usually is, because it looks like a video game monster. But to confirm that the shark was one creature, and not two conjoined ones, researchers had to run a battery of tests including MRIs and x-rays, which resulting in some amazing images like this.
Those tests confirmed that the shark, which was found in the uterus of an adult bull shark caught by a fisherman, is the first example of dicephalia — two-headedness — in the species and also boasted two stomachs and hearts. The specimen, which died shortly after being removed from its mother, never would have had a chance in the wild, say researchers.
You were not meant for this world, weird two-headed shark.
(via MSU, images courtesy of Patrick Rice, Michael Wagner)
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