A goat born with one giant eye has beaten the odds and managed to survive past its first week in India.
According to National Geographic the kid suffers from cyclopia, a rare condition that happens when the brain fails to divide into two hemispheres.
This defect causes the animal suffering from it to only grow one large eye, rather than the usual two. The defect can occur in most mammals, including humans, and has been documented in Dusky sharks.
In the case of the Indian goat, local veterinarians don't know what caused the condition.
While the defect could be genetic, it could also be the result of toxins.
Forbes reports that in 1957 Idaho sheep ranchers found a batch of their lambs were born with the condition, so they called scientists from the US Department of Agriculture for help.
It took 11 years, but eventually the scientists figured out what was going on – the sheep moved to higher ground during droughts and snacked on corn lilies. The lilies contained a toxin, now dubbed cyclopamine, which stunted the lamb embryos’ growth, causing the defect.
The defect is normally fatal, because it also comes with other issues. The Indian baby goat for example also lacks eyelashes, eyelids, one ear, and several teeth; its jaw is severely shortened, and its nose is underdeveloped.
According to the Daily Mail, the goat’s owner, Mukhuri Das, views it as a miracle.
'It might be something from God that the baby goat was born in our house,' Das said.
“So many people are coming to our place to see this baby goat. We are happy that it's making us famous,” Das said.
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