14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists were amazed to learn that certain species of marine snakes seem to employ decoy defenses against possible attackers. Especially notable in such a role is the yellow-lipped sea krait (Laticauda colubrine), which, in addition to packing one of the most potent venoms in the animal world, also has two heads. Or, at least, that's what predators thinking about hunting it see. While the slithering beast is quite able to take care of itself while lurking about in the waters, it becomes highly vulnerable when its real head is foraging for food in between corals. Only the tail remains visible, and evolutionary biologists believe that the fake head appeared as a defensive measure.
Indeed, while foraging, the animal twists its tail in such a manner that it takes the shape of the actual head. Additionally, colorings on the snout and the tip of the tail look precisely similar, which is one of the main reasons why scientists like Arne Redsted Rasmussen of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Conservation, in Copenhagen, Denmark, were fooled by the clever disguise as well, LiveScience reports. Probably, the snake believes that predators looking at it and noticing a vigilant head looking around will be deterred from attacking, and it will escape being eaten.
Apparently, this protection method works pretty well. The tail is not just held still to mimic a head. It is being moved in patterns similar to the real head, which gives the distinct impression that the snake is surveying its surrounding carefully. It's only when it extracts its snout from between the corals that its actual make-up is revealed, and the tail is flattened back in its swimming position. The most distinctive marking that gives the impression of a two-headed snake is a bright yellow horseshoe-like drawing that appears at both ends of the reptile.
Working together with Swedish researcher Johan Elmberg, an expert at the Kristianstad University College, Rasmussen peered through records of multiple snakes. In the archives, the two discovered that at least 100 similar snake species exhibited the same reoccurring markings on both their Tails and snouts, hinting at the fact that the defense mechanism may have escaped undetected by science for many years. In fact, it is quite well spread among snakes, and especially water-dwelling species, the team says.