With a mutation rate of only about 1/1,000,000, a rare sheep with 5 limbs survived healthily half a month after being born on a farm in England.
Whitehouse Farm in Morpeth (UK) has just welcomed the birth of a special sheep with an extra limb growing out of its left side, giving it a total of 5 fully functional legs.
It is known that mutant sheep with 5 legs are extremely rare. Cases of healthy survival after birth and still retaining the extra leg are even rarer, with a rate of about 1/1,000,000 individuals raised under normal conditions.
For Whitehouse Farm, this is the second time in 25 years that a sheep with this type of mutation is still alive and well.
The sheep, formerly named Quinto, also lived a long life and even gave birth to a litter of babies, said farm owner Heather Hogarty. The difference is that its extra limb grows on its abdomen, instead of its flanks.
With a mutation rate of only about 1/1,000,000, a rare sheep with 5 limbs survived healthily half a month after being born on a farm in England.
The mutant lamb was born on a very beautiful day, February 22, 2022, and was named Twosday. “When he was born, I thought it was Quinto reincarnated,” Heather said.
The team at Whitehouse Farm were not only surprised by the rather unusual appearance of the fifth limb, but also quickly realized that this limb had three fingers – as opposed to the usual two.
They will closely monitor Twosday’s health to see if the extra limb causes any problems. Previously, Quinto the sheep had an extra leg that grew out of his abdomen and hindered his movements, so doctors were forced to amputate this limb.
