Doctors Successfully Remove Human Tail From Newborn Brazilian Infant

Baffled doctors managed to remove a real human tail from a newborn infant boy in Brazil.

The mother prematurely gave birth to the child at 35 weeks. Doctors who delivered the baby were astounded to discover a "rare congenital abnormality," as they put it per The New York Post.

Researchers detailed their study, "A True Human Tail in Neonate," in the Journal of Pediatric Case Surgery Reports.

Brazilian Infant Has 30-Centimeter-Long "True" Human Tail

According to Daily Mail, surgeons had discovered a 30-centimeter (around 12 inches) tail. That's because there was no cartilage or bone in the baby's tail.

Doctors indicated that they had to deal with a unique case of a real human tail. However, upon closer inspection, the infant was jaundiced and had a four-centimeter (almost 2 inches)-wide ball.

7News said the baby's appendage continued to develop, eventually giving the child a tail. Although the growth was not causing any health problems, the family decided to have it removed.

The baby was taken to the surgery room by doctors. News18 said doctors successfully removed the tail and discovered that the child's nervous system was not affected. Experts used ultrasonography to rule out any neurological involvement because the neural system and the skin have the exact embryonic origin.

His mother was previously healthy and did not drink or use illicit substances. However, she smoked ten cigarettes a day during her pregnancy and had one urinary tract infection, which doctors treated with drugs during the first trimester.

It's not the first time someone has been born with a one-of-a-kind limb. A 5-inch cancerous "dragon horn" sprouted out of a UK man's back in 2019, even though he had no history of skin cancer.

Around 40 Cases Born With Human Tails

According to Fox News, there are only approximately 40 incidents of true human tails. In the said article, experts categorized human tails as real or pseudo-tails.

Fatty and connective tissue, blood vessels, muscle and nerve fibers make up a true human tail. According to the report, the majority of people begin to grow a tail during the fourth week of pregnancy. However, during the eighth week, it usually disappears and transforms into the tailbone, commonly known as the coccyx.

On the other hand, Pseudo-tails are made up of adipose or cartilaginous tissue with bone components. According to reports, some newborns develop a pseudo-tail after they mistakenly assume their child has a real tail. This ailment is often associated with a tailbone deformity or spina bifida.

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