If you’ve ever wondered what a one-eyed horse would look like, your curiosity can finally be satisfied. In Denmark, a horse owner anxiously awaited the birth of his mare’s newborn foal, only to be surprised to discover that the baby had one eye and a condition that it would be unable to survive. The “cyclops” horse died immediately, but soon become famous for its unique condition.
Upon the foal’s death, its owner sent it to the University of Copenhagen to be studied. As it turns out, the horse suffered from a condition that resulted in the creature being born with a fused eyeball positioned right in the middle of its head. As if that wasn’t weird enough, the eye had two pupils, giving the horse a very odd, disconcerting appearance.
Although the horse was referred to as “cyclops”, it actually had two eyes that had somehow become fused together. The result was a single large eye with two pupils. It’s easy to become fascinated with the freaky, and scientists have understandably been intrigued by this foal’s rare condition. According to Henrik Elvang Jensen, a professor at the University, defects like this are perfect examples of the strangeness of nature.
Biologists still aren’t quite positive as to what caused this particular mutation, but they do know that the fused eyes were not the only issue with the horse. Problems with the nervous system were also apparent, meaning that there was no possibility that the animal could have survived.
The foal is still the center of attention, and its head is being kept at the university in storage. Eventually, the university is planning on displaying the head to all those who wish to see this horse “cyclops” for themselves.
