The Netherlands is officially one turtle richer - or two, perhaps? - after an extremely rare two-headed turtle hatched in the town of Putten on July 25. With one shell, two heads, two tails, and four front legs, vets have confirmed that the young turtle is healthy, and will go on to live a long and happy life. 

Two-headed turtle hatches at breeder in Putten

Named Sorte (the Portuguese word for luck), the turtle was hatched in a town near Amersfoort at the end of last month. “It is very special that I have such a specimen,” said breeder Ruben van Schoor. “I will do my best [to make sure] Sorte is and remains healthy.” 

Healthy Sorte could live for up to 150 years 

This certainly isn’t the first time that a turtle has been born with a few too many limbs, but sadly many of the world’s two-headed turtles don’t survive for very long out in the wild, as they tend to be extremely sensitive to diseases. Van Schoor was therefore concerned about Sorte, but a CT scan confirmed that it was healthy. 

Sorte has only one heart, one stomach, and one gastrointestinal tract, but two windpipes and two cervical vertebrae, as well as four front legs, two tails, and, of course, two back legs. Living in captivity under the care of Van Schoor, Sorte could go on to live for 150 years, and might eventually weigh as much as 100 kilograms.