#anomalyofnature

[rogue-taxidermy-of-sarina-brewer]

#2ForTuesday 

"Two heads are better than one". A genuine anomaly of nature I was fortunate enough to acquire about 16 years ago. One of the favorites residing in my personal collection.

[rogue-taxidermy-of-sarina-brewer]

A great vintage mount of a freak calf at a roadside museum outside of Duluth MN. It has two separate noses, each with a pair of nostrils. It was hanging too high on the wall for me to determine if it had an extra eye on top. The accompanying signage said it was born alive but was put to sleep shortly after birth. Poor little guy.

[rogue-taxidermy-of-sarina-brewer]

One of my upcoming projects. I will be preparing this little guy for my personal collection. It has chondrodysplasia, a type of dwarfism. Cattle breeders refer to them as a bulldog or snorter calf. The cartilage fails to develop properly which stunts the growth of the skeleton. The heads are always brachycephalic and/or hydrocephalic accompanied by a cleft palate, the limbs are severely stunted, and the spine is shortened and malformed. This is an inherited defect in cattle and has been described in multiple breeds. No single gene is responsible for the condition, but it is usually seen in varieties intentionally bred for legs that are disproportionately short in comparison to the length of their body (such as angus and dexter cattle). This is a lethal deformity and calves are always stillborn, therefore do not suffer, however the delivery can be hard on the mother.

[rogue-taxidermy-of-sarina-brewer]

An almost unheard of occurrence; a two-headed puppy