dog with two noses

Animals With Extra Body Parts

With tens of thousands of animals born each day, the inevitable outcome is that some will be born with incredibly rare abnormalities. Here we will learn about several strange-looking creatures who live their everyday lives with extra body parts. These freak animals suffer from a rare anomaly that makes them look like they belong in a freak show. For the majority of the animals in this article, their extra body part is an abnormality in which they were born with.

Freak Animals That Look Like A Species Of Their Own

A Mutant Kitten Was Born With 2 Heads, 2 Mouths And 3 Eyes

Xiao Wei is a cat owner who lives in Shenyang City, China. Little did he know that his cat would give birth to a kitten with two heads, two mouths and three eyes. Not long after her birth, Wei live-streamed his new mutant kitten to Chinese social media site Sina Weibo.

Despite being in good health, Wei is unsure whether or not she will survive with her abnormalities. Fortunately, she can eat with her other 4 siblings, with just one of her two mouths being functional. One mouth can eat and make noise, and the other mouth can only move its tongue. Only time will tell whether the kitten lives a full life.

In the above YouTube video, you can see the cat slightly move the tongue of its nonfunctional mouth.

Brian: The Three-Eared Cat

cat with 3 ears (screenshot).

Brian is a friendly 11-year-old cat from Harling, U.K. This unusual-looking feline was rescued by Feline Care Cat Rescue. Molly Farrar is a manager at the animal sanctuary. Despite seeing many cats with missing body parts such as a leg or eye, a cat with an extra ear is a first.

Why Does Brian Have 3 Ears?

To get a professional opinion on the actual reason for Brian’s third ear, Farrar decided to bring him to their veterinarian. It was confirmed that the extra ear does not function like a regular ear does. The reason is because the additional ear contains no sensory organs. It is made of nothing but cartilage. Doctors believe that Brian’s extra ear is most likely a birth defect.
Brian will live at the animal sanctuary until he eventually gets placed in a good home.

The Echidna: An Animal Known For Its “Four-Headed Penis”

echidna penis

The male echidna has a four-headed penis. When the penis is erected, the two heads on one side will shut down. The other two heads fit right in the two-branched female reproductive tract. For scientists, the reason for having “four heads” is still a mystery. However, there is speculation that it may be for the purpose of increasing the chances of fertilization.

According to National Geographic TV Blogs, Dr. Stewart Nicol refer’s to the echidna’s process of copulation as a double double-barreled shotgun. He thinks that while mating, the echidna ejaculates out of two heads on one side, and then again out of the two heads on the other side. This supports the idea of 4 heads as a useful tool for improving the odds of fertilization.

It has quite been difficult for scientists to study the functionality of a echidna’s four-headed penis. So far, they’ve had no luck studying them in their natural habitat. Even while they are in captivity, mating is non-existent. This explains why no one has yet to see them ejaculate.

A Lizard With 3 Tails

lizard with three tails

This is an adult blue-throated keeled lizard with three tails. Each tail is a different size. The largest is 30 millimeters in length, with the other two tails at 15 and 10 millimeters. This particular lizard is one of just a handful of triple-tailed lizards documented worldwide, and is a first known in the species. Despite having multiple tails, which may affect balance, the lizard is in good condition.

Why Three Tails?

Scientists believe the three tails exist because of glitches in the lizard’s autotomy. To evade an attack from a predator, the species will shed their tails. Then, they will regenerate a new tail by replacing the missing bone with cartilage.

Based on results of past studies of lizards with more than one tail, an extra tail usually occurs when the original is only partially severed and remains attached. What more than likely happened with the blue-throated keeled lizard is its original tail vanished not partially, but completely. It is possible that the lizard was attacked by another animal (such as a bird or dog), which may have broke the base of its spine. The fractured spine may have caused a new tail to grow from each separated vertebra.

To support the theory that the lizard lost its old tail completely, you can clearly see from the image that each tail has different colors and scaling patterns compared to the skin where the break occurred.

Meet Toby: The Dog With Two-Noses 

Todd Ray is a successful music producer and creator of the Venice Beach Freakshow. He currently holds a world record for owning the most two-headed animals. To add to his unique collection, Ray adopted a dog that was born with two noses. Toby Two-Nose was found roaming the streets in Fresno, California. Luckily, Ray is fascinated with animals that look weird. Although it was difficult finding a home for Toby, Ray came to his rescue just in time. Before Toby was rescued, he was almost put down just because of his unusual appearance.

Unlike Brian the “three-eared cat,” Toby’s extra body part is actually functional. According to Ray, his extra nose has come in handy. He says Toby’s second nose helps give him some super sniffing abilities that allow him to find virtually anything, regardless of how well it is hidden.
With two functional noses, Toby Two-Nose would certainly make an excellent police dog.

If you like seeing and learning about those bizarre animals with extra body parts, you are in luck. On this particular article, we will continue to add captivating information (which will include pictures and/or videos) on some of the newest and rarest cases in the world.

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About Joseph Caltabiano
