Decoding the mystery of the "two-headed" snake in Vietnam

In Vietnam, there exists a species of snake that, according to folklore, has two heads and has deadly venom. So what is that snake and is it really that poisonous? The following article will give you the answer.

Rumors about a "two-headed" snake with deadly venom

In some provinces in Vietnam, especially in the southern region, there are often rumors about a snake with two heads, in which the back head of this snake has dangerous venom, if anyone is bitten by this head, it will be difficult to save their life.

The snake mentioned in this rumor is the trun snake .

When threatened, the trun snake often raises its tail high to threaten, causing people to mistakenly think the animal has two heads.

The trun snake, scientifically known as Cylindrophiidae, is a monotypic snake family, widely distributed throughout Southeast Asia, China, India and Sri Lanka. In Vietnam, this snake species is mainly distributed in the Southern and Southwestern regions. That is the reason why rumors about the two-headed trun snake mainly appear in this area.

Close-up of the tail mistaken for the second head of the trun snake

The trun snake is a small snake, with a length of about 0.8 to a maximum of 1 meter. This is a burrowing snake, usually living in wet areas such as swamps, reed beds, river banks, streams and flooded agricultural areas. The trun snake has a tapered, flat head, indistinguishable from the body. This feature helps the trun snake easily dig burrows and burrow into piles of dry leaves.

Trun snakes also often appear in areas where people live, especially residential areas near rivers, canals or rice fields...

Trun snakes mainly hunt at night , their food includes eels, earthworms, insects, frog eggs...

The head is tapered, indistinguishable from the neck of the trun snake

The reason why the trun snake is called a two-headed snake is because of its self-defense mechanism . Accordingly, when the trun snake is threatened or needs to defend itself, this snake will raise its tail, while the real head of the snake will lie still or hide under the leaves.

The tail of the trun snake is flat and has a bulging horn. When it is raised upright, it resembles the head of a cobra - a snake with extremely dangerous venom - which will make predators feel scared and stay away from the trun snake.

Is the trun snake venom deadly?

It is also the special self-defense style of the trun snake that makes many people mistakenly think that this is a snake with two heads and the head is spread out like a cobra and has the ability to bite people to death. In fact, the trun snake only has one normal head like other snakes and the tail of the trun snake has no ability to bite or attack.

The trun snake has a body with colorful rings, so many people mistake it for the extremely poisonous krait

A characteristic of the trun snake's appearance is that this snake has a body with alternating black, white, orange or yellow stripes , which makes many people mistake the trun snake for a highly poisonous krait or banded krait.

In fact, the trun snake is a completely harmless snake and is not likely to pose a danger to humans. The trun snake is also a shy snake, often trying to hide, burrowing into caves or dry leaves to avoid confrontation with humans, so we rarely encounter this snake.

Due to its shy nature, non-venomous nature and colorful colors, trun snakes have become a popular choice for many people as pets.

Thus, the rumor about a snake with two heads and possessing deadly venom is completely untrue. Contrary to this rumor, the trun snake is a gentle snake and is not capable of causing danger to humans.