Bizarre mutant cow is born with two heads and eight legs as vets left shocked
A rare two-headed, eight-legged calf has died moments after a dramatic four-to-five-hour delivery at an Ayurvedic hospital and ashram in southern India, after vets were left stunned by the conjoined birth
Video grab of the moments following the birth of the rare calf(Image: Jam Press/Rare Shot News)
Farmers were stunned when a calf was born with two heads and eight legs. Veterinarians were called after the buffalo went into labour and reportedly spent around four to five hours assisting with the delivery.
But when the calf was finally brought out, the vets were surprised to discover it had two conjoined heads and eight legs. News of the bizarre birth quickly spread through the area, with large numbers of curious locals gathering at the ashram to see the newborn.
The unusual birth took place at an Ayurvedic hospital and ashram in Erukalapudi, in Tenali mandal, Guntur district, in southern India.
The calf reportedly died shortly after being born, while the mother remained healthy. Veterinary officials said such births are extremely rare and can occur as a result of abnormalities during the development of the foetus in the womb.
A rare calf with two heads and eight legs has died shortly after being born(Image: Jam Press/Rare Shot News)
The unusual calf became a talking point in Erukalapudi, with people from surrounding areas also arriving to see it. Two-headed animals can occur when an embryo does not completely separate during early development, resulting in conjoined twins with duplicated body parts.
Such animals often die shortly after birth because severe developmental abnormalities can affect vital organs and the brain, while malformed or duplicated body structures can make breathing, feeding and circulation difficult. In cases of conjoined twins, the animals may also share vital organs or have organs that are too underdeveloped to sustain life.
Video grab of the moments following the birth of the rare calf(Image: Jam Press/Rare Shot News)
While rare, the phenomenon happens often enough to have seeped into popular culture – with people frequently sharing Laura Gilpin’s heartbreaking poem The Two-Headed Calf whenever a real-life two-headed animal is born.
The short piece was first published in 1977 in her book The Hocus Pocus of the Universe, and it captures the bittersweet tragedy of a calf born with polycephaly – the rare condition where an animal is born with more than one head.
Because these animals were so rare, farmers in the 19th to the 20th centuries would routinely freeze or preserve the bodies and donate them to local museums or traveling sideshows to be put on display as a “freak of nature”.
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