Scientists unable to solve mystery of two-headed sharks

LAHORE: Biologists at the University of Málaga in Spain recently spotted a two-headed shark embryo during their medical research on the cardiovascular system of sharks. The embryo was discovered among 797 others and is first of its specimen, as it came from a shark that laid eggs.

According to Journal of Fish Biology, the embryo with two heads has been identified as an Atlantic sawtail catshark.The latest issue of the journal stated that the shark embryo had a mouth, two eyes, a brain, a notochord and five gill openings on each side. The two heads merged into a single body.

The authors also wrote that the body consisted of two hearts, two oesophaguses, two stomachs, two livers, a shared intestine and one set of kidneys and reproductive organs.The Atlantic sawtail catshark is found in a small area of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and is considered near threatened.So far seven other two-headed sharks have been found of different species including bull and blue sharks.