Two-headed calf born in India
A baby calf with two heads, four eyes and two mouths has become a local attraction in Gangaikondan, south India.
According to the UK’s Daily Mail, a video taken on January 1 shows lines of curious spectators queueing up to see the newborn creature lying in a shed with its mother.
Animals born with more than one head, known as polycephaly, barely live more than a few months. Local vets are involved in the calf’s care but they believe its chances of survival are very low.
The extremely rare condition results from genetic abnormalities or damage sustained in the nervous system during the development and splitting of embryos.
In August 2020, a calf born with two heads, two ears, two mouths and four eyes shocked farmers in Dejiang County, Guizhou Province in south-eastern China.
The calf’s mother gave birth to it after a difficult seven-hour labour, according to their owner, known as Auntie Zhang.