There are a lot of really spooky things about New Orleans and Louisiana, and at this time of year, nothing surprises us.

Yesterday the world-famous Audubon Zoo in New Orleans announced that a beloved reptile member had passed away of old age. Harvey, the two-headed snake, was quite a popular fixture at the zoo, and through the years had kids and adults alike squealing with delight when they encountered him behind the glass enclosure. Harvey was a rare black and tan gopher snake who was donated by the actor Nicolas Cage in 2008 when he was a juvenile. Zoo officials think he died of issues due to his age.

Audubon Zoo Curator of Herpetology Robert Mendyk told NOLA.com “We do not know the origins of this animal, but with tens, or even hundreds of thousands of snakes hatched or born in captivity each year, two-headed snakes occasionally pop up and are made available by snake hobbyists and breeders.”

Apparently, Harvey was named after the famous Batman villain Harvey “Two-Face” Dent, and officials at the Audubon Zoo do not know how Nicolas Cage originally acquired the reptile, but they are grateful for his donation. Cage was a one-time resident of New Orleans.

Mendyk told NOLA.com it was an ongoing challenge to feed Harvey through the years because zookeepers “would have to take turns feeding the heads, and would use a spatula between the heads to prevent the one not eating from trying to eat the mouse the other head was in the process of eating." R.I.P. Harvey

 

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