Two-Headed Calves and Cattle

This picture is from the archives of the Examiner. It is dated Jun 4th, 1931. It is marked "Two-headed calf owned by Manuel Sequeira."

A brown and white calf with two heads diverging just behind the ear, shown in a prone position.This calf does not look to vigorous, and the majority of calves with this condition do not survive for long after birth.

A two-headed animal is typically created by incomplete separation of Siamese twins. Examples occur in most animals species (is discussed in this hub). For some reason, there seem to be quite a few examples that are cattle.

Two-headed calves seem to present an irresistible subject for taxidermists. Here are just a few institutions that possess preserved specimens (pictures available at the linked sites):

• Dime Museum, The
• Grant County Historical Museum
• Museum of Lausanne
• Ohio Historical Society
• Ripley's London

This calf was born on the Kenneth Douglas farm in Champaign, Illinois in June of 1958. The calf was born by Caesarian and was not able to stand at the time that the picture was taken. [Press photograph, unknown publication].

This unusual full-grown example was on display a the White City Amusement Park in 1922. It was born on a farm in Mills Creek, Oklahoma.

A cow is displayed with a taxidermy calf specimen.

Calf from the farm of WA Rasor, Brookeville.

An unusual bull.

The taxidermy calf (left) looks a little suspicious to me. This would be a rather unusual conformation.