An image circulating for the past several years shows a snake with seven heads. Is this photo real or fake?
The image is fake.
It is merely a digitally-altered photo of a normal one-headed snake.
Several versions of this photo have circulated over the past couple of years. In 2012, a three-headed variety of this photo was circulated, and by 2013 the number of heads had increased to 7. A five-headed version has also been seen.
Captions
A caption circulating with the seven-headed photo in 2013 read:
GOD SAVE US. THIS SNAKE WAS FOUND IN THE MOUNTAINS OF HONDURAS. AND THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF A SNAKE WITH 7 HEADS AND WITH THIS WE SEE THAT IT IS FULFILLING EVERYTHING THAT IS WRITTEN. LORD HAVE MERCY ON OUR SOUL’S
The three-headed snake was claimed to be photographed in India when that image circulated in 2012.
This is the 2012 “three-headed snake” version.
By 2013, the number of heads had grown to 7.
Original Photo
As you can see, however, the original photo clearly shows a snake with one head:
Multi-Headed Snakes
Multi-headed snakes have been found in nature (a phenomenon known as Polycephaly), but these are typically two-headed snakes, not three or seven as the fake photos above show. As recently as September 2014, a Turkish farmer reported finding a two-headed snake on his property. In that report, it was noted that snakes with two heads are at a disadvantage in the wild due to increased vulnerability to attack.
In September 2015, a two-headed Albino Honduran Milksnake named Medusa gained worldwide attention when a video was released of the rare snake which was sold for $50,000. Medusa is currently on display as part of the Venice Beach Freakshow, which is considered to have the largest collection of two-headed snakes. You can see a video of Medusa below.
Google Trends
The chart below shows Google search history on this topic. As shown in the chart, searches began on the photo in early 2012. There was a significant peak in November and December 2013, and it has been somewhat steady since.
Bottom Line
Images above showing a snake with three, five, or seven heads are digitally-altered, and do not depict a real creature. Two-headed snakes do exist in nature, but are extremely rare.
Updated January 9, 2016
Originally published November 2013
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