By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – The World Aquarium at the City Museum in downtown St. Louis is putting one of its residents up for sale.
Aquarium president Leonard Sonnenschein says he's going to sell a rare two-headed albino snake, named We. She's lived there since 1999.
"It's an amazing snake," Sonnenschein said Monday. "When people see it they are awestruck."
Sonnenschein says the snake should live another 10-15 years and that the reptile is at a good age for breeding.
The starting bid will be $150,000.
The snake made news about a year and a half ago when she was stolen, but returned a few days later.
It measures an inch thick and 4 feet long, she is a healthy size for a rat snake. While its body is white, the heads have a reddish appearance.
The 61/2-year-old snake came to the aquarium's attention when its previous owner distributed a circular offering it for sale days after its birth. The aquarium paid $15,000, knowing that most two-headed snakes don't live more than a few months.
But We has survived and thrived because, unlike some two-headed animals, both mouths are connected to the same stomach, Sonnenschein said.
"We expect the sale of We to be on the same level of demand as a priceless art object," he said.