TWO-HEADED turtle mania is likely to grip Phuket if the interest being shown by the media in an as-yet-unnamed creature yesterday is a guide.

The Royal Thai Navy is holding a competition to name the 18-day old turtle, which was on display at the Navy base at Tablamu, north of Phuket, where there's a turtle sanctuary. Phuketwan is happy to ask its readers to help.

Warrant Officer Chatjen Choipean, who oversees the Navy hatchery beach at Hu Young Island in the Similans, where turtles lay eggs between November and February, said the two-headed turtle was the last of a batch of 26 turtles to hatch from a laying of 96 eggs.

The Olive Ridley turtle, it's hoped, may do for Phuket and other turtles what a young panda has done for Chinag Mai Zoo.

Last year, Warrant officer Chatjen said, there were 80 separate egg-layings on the island. This year so far, there have been 30.

''The young two-headed turtle is very strong and doing well,'' he said. It's the first time a two-headed turtle has been born in the Navy region and they hope it means good luck for future attempts to breed more turtles, especially on the mainland and Phuket.

Visitors are invited to see the turtle at Tablamu, where there's also one of the region's finest golf courses and plenty to see in the surrounding Phang Nga countryside.

The sex of the creature is not known and it could taken up to five years to become apparent whether it's male or female.

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