Technologies

Meet Angel/Zeke, a Rare 2-Headed Snake Surviving Against the Odds

A cute and crawly kingsnake with two heads is chowing on mice and chilling with its keepers at the East Bay Vivarium in California.

Meet Angel. Also, meet Zeke. They’re two of a kind. Angel and Zeke are the two heads of a single California kingsnake living at the East Bay Vivarium, a reptile store in Berkeley, California.

Angel/Zeke (named after two store employees) is around seven months old, a remarkable age for a snake with its rare mutation. Bicephalic (two-headed) snakes typically don’t live long. The Vivarium’s unusual reptile doesn’t move as quickly or as gracefully as a one-headed kingsnake.

Reptile lovers know the animals can have a lot of personality. Most kingsnakes are quick to poop on you or run, the Vivarium’s Alex Blanchard told CNET.

He described the two-headed snake as «chill.»

«They’re not shy. They’re not bitey,» he said. «They’re pretty calm for a kingsnake.»

The kingsnake’s right head appears to be dominant. It’s the only one accepting food, but that could change as the snake matures. For now, Angel/Zeke is eating every week.

«It’d eat more if we let it, but it’s doing pretty well,» Blanchard said.

California kingsnakes aren’t venomous. They’re native to California and can be found in urban areas as well as in grasslands and desert or forest landscapes. Kingsnake coloration can vary, but they typically have dark and light bands. Angel/Zeke is what’s known as a «morph,» a snake with a distinctive pattern.

Angel/Zeke is not currently for sale, though Blanchard said there have been some casual inquiries. Visitors to the East Bay Vivarium can see the snake in person, but it has access to a hideaway area for when it’s not feeling social.

The East Bay Vivarium shared photos of the snake on Instagram in late March. Vivarium staff were surprised at the attention the snake has generated.

«We’re hoping that people coming to see the snake will learn about other animals and other species and it’ll open their eyes to a wider view of reptiles in both captivity and in the wild,» Blanchard said.

Technologies

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, May 4

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 4.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword isn’t too tough, but if you’re like me, your mind will go to a different word for 1-Across. They mean the same thing, but have different letters. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Wines that Napa Valley is renowned for, informally
Answer: CABS

5A clue: «Right away!»
Answer: ATONCE

8A clue: School students
Answer: PUPILS

9A clue: Make a mistake … or 8-Across backward
Answer: SLIPUP

10A clue: Many a new driver
Answer: TEEN

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Items of clothing that may be worn backward
Answer: CAPS

2D clue: ___ Gawande, surgeon with the #1 New York Times best seller «Being Mortal»
Answer: ATUL

3D clue: Hasbro toy with a pull handle and twistable crank
Answer: BOPIT

4D clue: Criticize snarkily, with «at»
Answer: SNIPE

6D clue: You’re reading it
Answer: CLUE

7D clue: Channel with «2» and «U» spinoffs
Answer: ESPN

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for May 4, #223

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 223, for May 4.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Connections: Sports Edition is a mix of easy and hard. If you start to recognize a certain state’s teams, you’ll do well. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Take the bases.

Green group hint: Golden State.

Blue group hint: Same first name.

Purple group hint: Hockey teams.