By: Jingwei Zhao

Happy birthday Janus! On September the 3rd this year, Janus has celebrated his 25th birthday, which is also new world record for the oldest two-headed tortoise! Janus is a two-headed Greek tortoise, and life is not easy for him. Most Greek tortoises have an extremely hard shell and can survive for up to 200 years. However, since Janus has two heads, his life expectancy is far shorter. As a turtle with not only two heads, but also has two pairs of hearts and lungs, he probably not have survived past being a baby in the wilderness. Luckily for him, Janus is nurtured and cared for by the kind staff of the Natural Museum in Geneva, Switzerland. They treat him well with activities such as massages, riding on a custom skateboard, and a chamomile extract solution.

Each of Janus’ heads has its own different personalities. According to the lead caregiver of Janus, Angelica Bourgoin, “The right head is more curious, more awake, it has a much stronger personality. The left head is more passive and loves to eat.” It may seem that Janus is living the life of a king, but his lifestyle has logic behind it. His two heads often rub against each other, which causes skin sores. He also has a harder time getting back up if he accidentally flips over and since his heads cannot retract into his shell, he is more vulnerable to predators than a normal Greek tortoise. Luckily for him, there are no predators around the museum facility.

It is speculated that by DOGOnews that Janus will live for a long time and break more records. We at EWJ agree. Two-headed tortoises are significantly rarer than a normal one-headed tortoise, which makes Janus such a specialty. I hope that Janus lives a terrific life under the care of his staff and stays healthy. Although Janus hasn’t commented on what he thinks about his caregivers, it is clear that his humans love him. Bourgoin talks to the turtle and plays soothing music to wake Janus up from his sleeps. Janus, I hope that you had a joyful birthday celebration and continue to live for a long time. Take care and stay strong!