Python With 'Fully Functioning' Third Eye Dies Weeks After Being Found

A deformed three-eyed python that was found on an Australian highway in March died recently, government agency Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory said Wednesday.

The juvenile carpet python was discovered by rangers on the Arnhem Highway in the Northern Territory of Australia. The one-foot snake, named Monty by the rangers, was about three months old when it was found and the rangers believed its fully-functioning third eye was a birth defect.

In a Facebook post Wednesday, the agency said, "An x-ray revealed it was not two separate heads forged together, rather it appeared to be one skull with an additional eye socket and three functioning eyes.”

“It was generally agreed that the eye likely developed very early during the embryonic stage of development. It is extremely unlikely that this is from environmental factors and is almost certainly a natural occurrence as malformed reptiles are relatively common,” the agency added.

Speaking to local newspaper NT News, Ranger Ray Chatto said the python’s survival was “remarkable.”

"It's remarkable it was able to survive so long in the wild with its deformity, and he was struggling to feed before he died last week,” he said.

The snake’s body was kept at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Darwin.

The Facebook post has since gone viral, garnering over 13,000 shares with several people calling the snake “freaky” and “frightening.”

"I love snakes but that's frightening," wrote a user, while another wrote, “This snake is so special and freaky but beautiful creature." "What kind of snake is this. I never seen snake with three eyes all my life true,” another person said.

Rangers also took to Facebook to tell people that the discovery of the python meant “the dry [season] is coming.”

Morelia spilota or carpet python is a non-venomous species common in Australia. According to Australia Zoo, the snakes can reach up to 11 feet and normally feed on small mammals and birds. The smaller pythons, however, prefer to eat lizards.