Cyclops Goat Continues to Defy the Odds

A rare "cyclops" goat is still alive at his home in Assam, India, despite suffering from the usually fatal condition of cyclopia.

Cyclopia is caused by a failure of the developing brain to split into two separate hemispheres.  This failure to split, which can be caused by a genetic defect or by the mother's ingestion of toxins, has left the goat with one eye, no eyelids, no eyelashes, one ear, an underdeveloped nose, a shortened jaw, and several missing teeth.

Most animals that suffer from cyclopia die within a couple days due to the complications that coincide with the physical deformities of the condition.  The condition generally occurs in mammals, including a sheep in Idaho that ate a poison and then birthed one-eyed lambs for ten years.

Mukhuri Das owns the goat and refers to the new tourist attraction as a "miracle."

Das said, "I believe this goat will bring luck to my home."

Read the full story at National Geographic