Record Clutch Hatches 18 Twins, Two-headed Dragon

April 9, 2008

KERNERSVILLE, N.C. – A two-headed bearded dragon was one of the rarities born to a first time mother lizard, which hatched nine sets of twins out of a 29 egg clutch.

While the nearly mythological baby lizard is a one in a million phenomenon, the number of twins hatched in one clutch is record setting.

Owners William and Jan Davis have sent a letter to the Guinness Book of Records and expect to hear back from them in another month.

“From what I’ve heard, the record is only four sets of twins,” said Mr. Davis to Media General News Service.

The couple breeds reptiles for their home-based business, Carolina Reptiles and Exotic Pets, where the baby bearded dragons sell for $50 to a couple hundred dollars, based on unique markings.

According to Mr. Davis, the bearded dragon is their most popular reptile because “they make a better pet than most lizards.”

“They’re really tame,” he said of the bearded dragon lizard, which can grow between 18 to 24 inches long by the age of two. “You walk up to the cage and they’ll come right up to you, like a little dog in a way.”

While some of the twins will be ready for new homes in another four to five weeks, the Davis family is planning to keep the two-headed lizard, despite the fact that such a rare lizard could sell in the range of $50,000.

The typical bearded dragon, if kept in a tank no smaller than 40 gallons and regulated with a proper temperature gradient, can life up to or beyond 10 years. Although the lifespan of such the two-headed anomaly can be short, it seems that this one is off to a good start.

“The two-headed one is a little slower than the regular ones,” said Mr. Davis of the lizards which eat crickets and greens. “But both heads are eating.”

Last year, another two-headed bearded dragon was hatched in Fresno, Calif., and is still going strong. The couple contacted its owner, Barbara Wittes.

“She’s been giving me advice on what to feed it, and how to get it started,” said Mr. Davis, who feels optimistic about his two-headed lizard also making it.

“All the signs are looking pretty good for this one,” he said. “He’s eating and moving around and relaxing.”

While the gender will not be determined for at least a month, the lizard has a long-tailed grayish-brown body with a second head that juts off its right shoulder.

It hatched on Friday, March 28, in the middle of the average-sized clutch’s hatchings. Some females have been known to lay up to 50 eggs.

Bearded dragons are native to Australia, where the exportation of wildlife is banned, which means the pet trade industry relies on breeders for supplying the American market with the docile lizard.

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Tim Clodfelter, Media General News Service, and Wikipedia.org contributed to this article.