These are the uncanny last moments of a two-headed calf born to a normal mum on a cattle ranch in Brazil.
The extraordinary footage – shot by astonished farmer Osvaldo Nascimento Almeida – shows a calf with two perfectly formed heads.
But as the calf – born on a ranch in Cotegipe, Bahia State, on 1st September – suckles milk from a bottle from both its heads, it becomes clear it can barely move.
It appears too weak to stand up and experts say it suffered neurological damage during its development.
Osvaldo Nascimento Almeida told local media: “It was incredible. I had never seen a situation like this before; it was the first time.”
However, the 51-year-old farmer’s joy was short-lived, as the two-headed animal died on 3rd September.
The cause of death is unclear, but it is known that calves with two heads often have many other abnormalities.
The calf is believed to have been born with two heads after an abnormality caused a fertilised egg cell to split only part of the way.
Instead of two fully formed twins, it is believed to have split into two half-formed babies sharing one body.
Osvaldo said the calf was well taken care of, adding that he had hoped it would pull through and was shocked by the loss.
He told local media: “But that’s how things are with God. We’ll figure out what to do with the body, whether to bury it, we’ll decide what to do.”
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Story By: William McGee, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Central European News
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