Park rangers in the Australian Outback were perplexed when they discovered a malformed three-eyed python named Monty in the Northern Territory town of Humpty Doo on the Arnhem Highway.
Monty, a Territory long carpet python, was just three months old, 40cm long, and had three functioning eyes when wildlife experts picked him up in late March. However, caring for Monty proved challenging as he struggled to feed due to his deformities.
Sadly, Monty passed away last week, prompting Ranger Ray Chatto to remark on the snake’s remarkable survival despite its deformity. He mentioned that Monty had difficulty feeding before his death.
An X-ray of Monty revealed that the extra eye was not due to two separate heads fused together but rather one skull with an additional eye socket and three functioning eyes. Ranger Chatto explained that the extra eye likely developed very early during the embryonic stage of development, and it is highly unlikely that environmental factors caused the deformity.
Monty’s remains are currently being kept at the CSIRO research center in Darwin for further study.
Carpet pythons, like Monty, are non-venomous and commonly found throughout Australia. They can grow up to three meters in length and typically feed on frogs, lizards, birds, and small mammals.
