Embryonic and fetal development is a complex process that when properly accomplished produces a healthy baby. This is true to both humans and animals, wherein if there are errors in the sequential steps of development it might follow fetal death, stillbirth, or birth of viable offspring with defects.
A congenital defect is defined as a disruption in the development during the intrauterine life, the period before and during birth, and later infancy.
According to MSD Veterinary Manual, advancements in technology have allowed scientists to identify specific genetic, environmental, and infectious agents that could cause defective fetal development.
Here are some examples of animals that have defied the laws of nature because of congenital defects brought by disruptions during embryonic and fetal development.
Three-Eyed Calf
According to a report by Mirror, veterinarians were baffled by the three-eyed calf on a farm in Gwynedd, Wales. "Vets tend to see all sorts of things - cyclops lambs and animals born with two heads - but I have never seen anything like this before," Malan Hughes said.
He noted that the extra eye seemed to look fine on the outside, which has eyelids and eyelashes and seemed moist as well. But, it is hard to know if anything is extraordinarily going on inside of the eye.
The news outlet reported that it seemed to be the result of a congenital defect but does not cause any problems.
Snake With A Foot
A 66-year-old grandma in China spotted a snake with one leg in 2009, the Mirror reported. She was so scared upon seeing the snake clinging to the wall with its talons that she has beaten it with a shoe before preserving the body in a bottle of alcohol.
The 16-inch snake is only as thick as a little finger and is now in the custody of the Life Sciences Department at the West Normal University in Nanchang, China. But until now, experts are still baffled by what caused the snake's mutation.
Cyclops Shark
In 2001, an alien-like creature was found inside the belly of a pregnant dusky shark. According to the Mirror, this one-eyed albino shark or commonly referred to as the cyclops shark that frightened fishermen when they trawled it up off the coast of Mexico.
Like the two previous animals, this bizarre appearance of the cyclops shark is believed to be the result of a congenital defect that occurs in many species of animals as well as humans. But the condition was not yet observed in adult animals as it would be challenging for them to survive in the wild.
Cat With Two Faces
Frank and Louie were born on September 8, 1999, and died on December 4, 2014. He was a cat who lived an unusually long life despite having a congenital defect that resulted in having two faces.
this congenital disorder is called craniofacial duplication that is caused by the excess of the protein called SHH, which signals craniofacial patterning during embryonic development. They were named as the longest surviving Janus cat by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2012.
Crooked-Neck Giraffe
Gemina, the crooked-neck giraffe, became famous for having her strange deformity in the neck. it started to become noticeable by the age of three.
According to the website Morbidology, Gemina's neck is bent nearly 90 degrees between her C3 and C4 vertebrae. She has one of the most incredibly rare deformities ever documented since 1902.
Despite her unusual neck, she has lived a long life from July 16, 1986, to January 9, 2008.
Two-Nose Dog
Toby, the two-nose dog, is n Australian Shepherd that was abandoned and rescued by the successful music producer and founder Todd Ray of Venice Beach Freakshow, Mobidology reported.
Ray has saved Toby's life from being euthanized. "I thought he was the cutest and the coolest dog ever!" Ray told Bored Panda.
According to him, Toby's noses are both functional which probably helped the dog find things despite how well it is hidden.
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