A woman in China discovered a snake clinging to the wall of her bedroom with one clawed foot. It turned out she’d discovered an incredibly rare mutation: it’s actually more common for snakes to have two heads than feet. Of course, by mutation, I mean insidious and sinister plot by animals to create super beasts.
Luckily, the brave and noble Duan Qiongxiu of Suining, China, killed the snake before it could be captured and studied by scientists upon first encounter. She said the monster was crawling along her wall using its foot and she beat it to death.
The snake – 16 inches long and the thickness of a little finger – is now being studied at the Life Sciences Department at China’s West Normal University in Nanchang.
Snake expert Long Shuai said: “It is truly shocking but we won’t know the cause until we’ve conducted an autopsy.”
Creatures can re-evolve old features. Maybe this snake is the first mutation in a series that will bring back snakes with legs? Perhaps as the snakes’ environments disappear, it will be better for them to have legs with claws. All the better for climbing around in cities. And killing us. Duan didn’t stumble upon an evolutionary throwback-what she found was a secret weapon. We’re only too lucky to that she eliminated it before more could be created … that we know.
Duan Quongxiu, we proudly name you our Warrior of the Week.