Rare mutant two-headed cow born alive

The farmer thought he was getting twins when two heads emerged – but was staggered when only one body followed them.

The bizarre beast has been branded a mutant by a local vet.

The calf – which died shortly after birth – was born at Shaijin Village in Linshui County, in south west China’s Sichuan Province.

Farmer Gan Yuanhua said: "I heard the cow shuffling around and making odd noises in the shed and I knew she was about to give birth.

"I initially thought the cow had given birth to twins when I saw the two heads and did not realise immediately that it was a mutation."

Its mother seemed unconcerned by its mutant offspring.

Gan said the cow had given birth to three healthy calves in the past.

Xu Kaiwen, a local vet who has been practicing for 30 years, said the calf’s condition was caused by an as-yet-unidentified genetic mutation.

The unusual condition of being born with two heads is called polycephaly and occurs in both animals and humans.

The most common cause is two identical twins begin to form from the same egg – but do not separate correctly and end up sharing the same body.

In the majority of the cases, animals and humans with polycephaly die soon after birth.

(dailystar.co.uk)