Cyclops Animals and Cyclopia Mutation in Animals

Please note that pictures in this hub may be disturbing. I do not display any human examples on this page but they can be seen in links. Please do not click on these links if you will find pictures of extreme human deformity disturbing.

Cyclops animals are the result of mutations that are almost always lethal before or shortly after birth. One of the most common causes is a deformity called 'cyclopia' which occurs in most mammals including humans. This deformity is marked by a failure of the fore-brain and nasal area to develop. Cyclopia is thought to result from a range of toxins and environmental pollution; it can also be produced by Trisomy 13.

This shark fetus was discovered by a fisherman. It most likely would not have been able to survive outside of the womb. It is a dusky shark, caught of the coast of California.

After a lot of suspicion that the pictures might be photo-shopped, this specimen was scientifically confirmed to be real.

Cyclopia in calves is produced by the same kinds of plants described in the section on lambs.

• German Fleckvieh calf (2006)
• Korean calf (2006)
• Cyclops Calf (2007)
• Cyclops calf, Canada (2010)--Getting prepared for taxidermy
• Indonesia (2011)
• Calf (unknown)

2005: This short-lived kitten suffered from holoprosencephaly, also known as cyclopia or synophthalmia. This ragdoll kitten was born late in 2005 and photographs circulated early in 2006. It was reported that the remains of this kitten ended up in a creationist display promoting the idea that mutation are always negative for health. [This example is confirmed by Snopes].

See also:

• Kitten on Ebay (2003)
• Cyclops kitten (undated)

• Fetal deer (2008)

• Fetal dog with cyclopia (undated)

In goats cyclopia is also sometimes described as 'monkey face'. Cases have been recorded with one or two normal lambs sharing the womb with cyclopia (example 1).

2010: This example originated from Farms in Clinton, SC.

2004: This kid (right) was born in Durban, South Africa.

1997: The skull of a cyclopia goat born in Texas.

See also: this undated taxidermy example.

1666: Colt with double eye

2011: Cyclops foal

Undated: University of Copenhagen preserved foal's head.

2010: This piglet (right) was born in China. Although reported as a cyclpes this is technically a tri-or quad-clops. The piglet had two faces that diverge to produce two eyes close together in a single socket. A similar case was reported in 2007.

Classic cyclopia in pigs has been documented as long ago as 1742.

See also:

• 2008: A piglet with cyclopia was born in Xiping township, China.
• Another split-face piglet (2007)
  
• A taxidermy cyclops piglet was offered for sale in 2006, origin unknown.

Cyclopia can be produced in lambs when the ewe eats Veratrum californicum (skunk cabbage) which contains a compound called Cyclopamine.

1964: Another example.

1920: This British specimen is very fully described, outlining the reasons that survival of cyclops animals is general not possible due to profound flaws in the systems of respiration and ingestion--and demonstrating that the single large eye is not functional, rendering the animal blind.

2005: Wisconsin lamb

2006: Tulsa State Fair taxidermy, conjoined twin cyclops lamb.

See also, undated taxidermy example. And this second taxidermy example which looks a little dubious to me due to the lack of other anatomical abnormalities that normally accompany cyclopia.

Other undated examples: Blackface lamb, lamb fetus.

2010: Taiwanese turtle.

Cyclopia has also been record in the rat.

A creature described as a troll was reputed killed in a Mexican town in 2010. However, based on the pictures is looks like cyclopia in a lamb or goat--and not a creature that would have been wandering around alive at night.

It has been suggested that myths of cyclops might derive from skulls of pygmy elephants where the sinus can create the illusion of a single central eye socket.