Conjoined twins in the animal world often don't survive very long, for various reasons. Even if they don't have serious anatomical abnormalities, they are often mobility-impaired and are easy prey. But a two-headed tortoise named Janus (for the two-headed Roman god) lucked out with a permanent home at the Geneva Natural History Museum, where they were hatched in 1997. With love and care, Janus has just passed their 25th birthday!
The tortoise does require some special care. They are fed an organic diet, exercised daily, and get vaseline rubs between their heads to keep them from chafing, as they tend to rub together. Janus cannot retract their two heads fully into their shell, which would mean danger in the wild. And yes, the two heads have different personalities, not to mention a pronoun problem for two brains with one name. Read more about the two-headed tortoise that set a longevity world record at US News and World report. -via Boing Boing
(Image credit: Philippe Wagneur, Natural History Museum of Geneva (MHNG))
