Two heads on a tortoise is a rarity that has been captured by curious scientists after being rescued from southeastern Turkey by a tourist.

  • Tourist shocked after discovering two-headed tortoise in south-western Turkey
  • The rare animal was taken to the Pamukkale University Biology Department
  • Experts at a university lab have concluded that it would not have survived wild.










A rare two-headed tortoise was filmed slowly crawling across a table by scientists after it was discovered in south-western Turkey.

According to IHA, the unusual creature was discovered by a tourist in the Pamukkale hotsprings. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Two tortoises, one with a head and the other with six legs, are seen moving in sync down the table. 

A rare two-headed tortoise, which was found at the at the Pamukkale hot springs in south-western Turkey, was spotted by a tourist

A rare two-headed tortoise, which was found at the at the Pamukkale hot springs in south-western Turkey, was spotted by a tourist 

Footage shows the unusual animal slowly crawling on a table, as scientists film the animal in their laboratory

Films show the strange animal crawling slowly on a table while scientists record it in their laboratory. 

The footage shows both tortoises working together and moving in a synchronized manner to move themselves down the table

This footage captures both tortoises moving together in sync to slide down the table.

Amazingly, the animal can actually be seen moving slowly and steadily down the table.

It was impossible for the tortoise to survive in wild, so the two-headed one was brought to Pamukkale University Biology Department.

Professor Dr Eyup Baskale of the Pamukkale University Biology Department said that the tortoise shares one digestive system, even though it has two heads.

The survival odds of this four-week old tortoise in wild would be extremely low. Therefore, it is being cared for at the University’s Laboratory.

The two-headed tortoise (above) would not have survived in the wild so it was taken to the Pamukkale University Biology Department

Two-headed tortoise above would not have survived wild, so it was brought to Pamukkale University Biology Department

Because it’s rare for anyone to have such a special specimen, the researchers will be closely studying them.

Because they are so diverse in size, tortoises can be fascinating for scientists. The Galapagos giant tortoise measures up to 1.2m (3.9ft) long while the Speckled Cape tortoise only measures a few inches.

Researchers are not sure what kind of tortoise the two-headed specimen could be.

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