We (rat snake)
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We is a two-headed albino black rat snake. (Photo: [1])
It was acquired by the World Aquarium in St Louis (Missouri) soon after its birth in 1999, for $15,000. In January 2006 it was put up for sale on ReptiBid, with a starting price of $150,000 to finance some educational and research programs.
The World Aquarium originally tried to sell it on eBay, but the sale of live animals is not allowed by the online company.
The bid was closed after a week, on January 10 with no offers to buy the snake. According to the Aquarium president Leonard Sonnenschein this was the result of most zoos general policies not to buy auctioned animals.
What makes We special is its longevity. Most two-headed snakes perish after few months due to feeding problems, whilst We is expected to live another 10 to 15 years.
On Halloween, the World Aquarium announced that "We" was adopted by Nutra Pharma Corporation, a biotechnology company developing treatments for Multiple Sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, and AMN using modified cobra venom and cobratoxin.