This week, on a family farm in northeast Croatia, a goat was born with eight legs and both female and male reproductive organs.
“I counted his legs and I thought I was seeing things,鈥 farmer Zoran Paparis told听. 鈥淭hen I called my neighbor to make sure that I am not crazy.鈥
A veterinarian in Arkansas attributed the eight legs and multiple reproductive organs to a 鈥減rocess called fetal reabsorption, in which one fetus absorbs another in the womb.鈥 This same vet noted that 鈥渢he process is not uncommon and is usually caused by low levels of a pregnancy hormone called progesterone鈥 and that 鈥渢he goat would most likely not live past two weeks.鈥
鈥淜ids born with both male and female organs occur at a rate of less than 15 percent in goats,鈥 says Dr. Munashe Chigerwe, a professor and veterinarian at the University of California, Davis. Citing a study in the , Chigerwe notes that hermaphrodism in goats is genetic, and that hermaphrodism occurs more frequently in goats than in any other farm animal. The study finds that mortality rates among hermaphrodite kids are actually lower than mortality rates among normal kids. No mention of hermaphrodite kids with eight legs, though. (But, according to Chigerwe, multiple legs are positively associated with hermaphrodism, as are other factors, such as being polled鈥攏ot having horns.)
Multi-headed and multi-limbed creatures date back to Greek mythology’s , a snake-like creature with nine heads that was finally killed by Hercules as the second of his Twelve Labors. However, abnormal animals are not reserved for mythology. Rare birth defects have created pigs with three snouts, and even a cow with extra hooves growing out of its back. a kid born with two heads at a neighboring farm several years ago.
The farmer听hopes his Octogoat鈥攐ne of three triplets born to dam Sarka鈥攚ill survive and gain enough strength to be back on its feet鈥攁ll eight of them鈥攊n no time.
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