India The goat acts normally despite having a deformed face, and is worshiped by villagers as the embodiment of gods.
It may be due to a rare birth defect called cyclopia, which forms in the fetus when the left and right hemispheres of the brain do not separate as usual in the early stages of the embryo. This results in the formation of a central hollow cavity with a single eye, sometimes partially fused or separated. Eyelashes and eyelids are non-existent.
The upper and lower lips still form but are often very small, accompanied by a short and toothless upper jaw, causing the animal’s tongue to protrude. This syndrome also occurs in many other animals such as horses, pigs, cows, cats and sharks.
In 2017, a one-eyed goat was born in the village of Assam, India. It also has only one complete ear, no nose, eyelids or eyelashes, and unusually small and incomplete teeth. Veterinarians predicted the newborn goat would die within days but it survived.