A two-headed calf was born in a Chinese village in Guizhou Province. The animal has two ears, two mouths, four eyes, but shares one throat. The bizarre animal has drawn huge interest from local residents, many of whom travel from afar to see the calf with their own eyes.
"Now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I know it's true”, said one visitor, who came to see the calf.
The animal has so far been unable to stand up on its own, but an expert said that the creature is healthy and voiced hope that it would continue growing. It is believed that it was affected by a genetic mutation. Its owner, known as Auntie Zhang, said she had never seen anything like that in 70 years.
Cases of policephaly among cattle are not uncommon. Earlier this month, a two-headed calf was born in Indonesia. Like its Chinese peer, it is healthy. There have even been cases of animals born with three heads. In humans, partial twinning can result in the formation of two heads supported by a single torso. Humans can also suffer from an extremely rare condition known as craniopagus parasiticus, when a twin head with undeveloped body is attached on top of the head of the developed twin. So far, there have only been four recorded cases of this condition.
