A mushroom hunter came across a dead fawn, or rather, two dead fawns in one body. The conjoined twins are considered to be the first known instance of a wild deer bringing a two-headed fawn to term. A necropsy determined that the white-tailed deer had two heads and necks, but shared a single liver and digestive tract.
“Their anatomy indicates the fawns would never have been viable,” D’Angelo told UGA Today. “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.”
The conjoined fawns discovered in a Minnesota forest in 2016 is the first recorded case of a conjoined white-tailed deer brought to full-term and born, according to a recently published study. (Minnesota DNR)
The conjoined fawns have since been mounted on a bed of greenery by Wild Images In Motion Taxidermy, and will now be positioned as it is just waking from a nap. The mount will eventually be moved to the Minnesota DNR headquarters in St. Paul and placed on public display, according to FOX9.
Read more at Fox News. -via reddit
(Image credit: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)