Two-headed Turtle Hatchling Found In South Carolina, Called Genetic Mutation

The double -headed pitcher turtle. (Facebook/South Carolina State Parks)

JAKARTA - Have you ever imagined if there is a sea turtle that has two heads in one body? If you ask the South Carolina State Parks volunteers, the findings of the two-headed turtle are surprising.

A group of patrollers and volunteers at Edisto Beach, South Carolina State Park were conducting a routine inventory to check turtle nests when they found the particular hatchlings, South Carolina State Parks said on Facebook, citing CNN August 3.

Park officials said they dug up the turtle nests about three to five days after it started showing 'signs of major emergence'. This helps determine the success of the nest, which depends on how many eggs hatch.

During an inventory last Wednesday, July 21, patrol officers and volunteers found three live loggerhead turtle hatchlings still in the room, but one hatchling, in particular, stood out because it had two heads. These two-headed hatchlings are the result of a genetic mutation.

They also look for live hatchlings that don't make it to sea. The two-headed loggerhead turtle is one of three live babies found in the nest.

"These two-headed hatchlings are the result of a genetic mutation", South Carolina State Parks said.

"Other two-headed hatchlings have been found in South Carolina, the United States in recent years, but this is a first for a patrol team in Edisto Beach State Park".

After the group took some photos, the three turtles were released into the open sea.

Officers and volunteers who found the two-headed turtle. (Facebook/South Carolina State Parks)

Separately, most turtles hatch in the summer, although they can hatch all year round, according to Sea World.

"It is very important for humans not to disturb the nest, which can endanger the survival of the baby turtles. When the turtle nest is disturbed, the hatchlings have a 25 percent or less chance of survival", according to Sea World.

Meanwhile, cited from NewsWeek July 27, according to the Charlotte Observer, the loggerhead turtle program has existed at Edisto Beach State Park since 1982.

And, the presence of two-headed turtles on the coast of South Carolina is not unusual. In 2019, a similar turtle was discovered and released into the sea on Hilton Head Island. State officials say they see up to two genetic mutations in turtles per year, according to the Observer.

However, as would be expected from the most recently discovered turtles, the chances of any of the mutated turtles surviving to adulthood are slim.

According to the Sea Turtle Conservancy, the loggerhead turtle in the United States is listed as threatened and falls under the US Federal Endangered Species Act. That is, they are likely to be threatened with extinction in the future. Internationally, disputes are listed as vulnerable.

To note, it is the presence of humans on beaches and oceans that poses the greatest threat to loggerhead turtles, writes TNC. Thousands of turtles hatch each year on beaches in the southeastern United States and it is estimated that one in 1.000 to 10.000 will survive to adulthood.

Meanwhile, Erin Weeks of the state's Division of Marine Resources told McClatchy News, in 2020, "staff and volunteers documented 5,562 nests on SC beaches, resulting in approximately 240.000 hatchlings hatching. Currently, there are approximately 4906 nests for the 2021 season. As of 2019, they documented 8795 nests, the highest number since we started recording in the 1970s".