2-Headed Fawn Discovered In A Minnesota Forest Proves That Nature Is Metal AF
Two-headed fawn
Forget what the soothing timber of Richard Attenborough’s “Planet Earth” narration would have you believe. Because sometimes nature misses the mark and delivers a rare oddity that makes the rest of us say, “WTF?” Backing up the claim that wildlife is surprisingly metal AF, a 2016 discovery of a two-headed fawn recently became the first known case of a “conjoined two-headed white-tailed deer brought to full-term gestation and delivered.” While polycephaly is definitely not common, it’s also not as rare as most people believe it to be. From two-headed porpoises to a four-fanged Cobra, it’s clear that nightmare fuel exists all around us in the natural world.Two-Headed Fawn
In May 2016, a mushroom hunter discovered the recently-stillborn body of a two-headed fawn in a Minnesota forest.
Stumbling across the twins a mile from the Mississippi River, the hunter then revealed his find to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources who froze the body until a necropsy could be completed.
Analysis
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Soon after their discovery, the fawns’ conjoined bodies underwent extensive lab testing such as multiple CT and MRI scans.
According to Gino D’Angelo, a researcher at the University of Georgia, the deers had “normal fur, heads and legs but internally shared a liver, extra spleens and gastrointestinal tracts.”
One Of A Kind
While cases of conjoined white-tailed fawns have previously been recorded, none of them ever survived the entire pregnancy and were then born.
“It’s never been described before,” said Lou Cornicelli, wildlife research manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “There are a few reported cases of two-headed ungulate fetuses, but nothing delivered to term.
So, the uniqueness made it special.”
Stillborn
While the twins managed to survive the entire pregnancy, they sadly did not survive the birth. “Their anatomy indicates teh fawns would never have been viable,” said Gino D’Angelo.
“Yet, they were found groomed and in a natural position, suggesting that the doe tried to care for them after delivery.
The maternal instinct is very strong.”