Got one just like it at almost 18", would probably be 19-20" if not for the curved snout. It gets worse and worse as they grow. It's definitely a deformity. From all acounts it's more than likely that the plates on top of the skull fuse together and kinda grab onto the sutures that let the skull grow in it's normal path. The skull continues to grow and follows the only path availible, which is downward. Mine went from just mildly curved to now his lower jaw completely protrudes in front of his upper. He can still eat, but I have to chop up his shrimp small enough for him to get his mouth around. He still stalks the shrimp and strikes lightning fast, just the difficult part is him getting the food in his mouth.