Six-legged Calf

LITCHFIELD, Neb. - A days-old black Angus calf romps about a central Nebraska farm just like any other — only this one romps with six legs. "He's a real freak," said Brian Slocum, who said the calf was born Sunday to one of his cows. "I've never seen anything like this before."

The two extra appendages — one a front leg, the other a back — extend from the calf's pelvic area. The longer of the two extra legs doesn't quite reach the ground, and they don't interfere with the calf's mobility.

The unnamed calf also has organs for both sexes and a surgically supplied rectum.

David Smith, a veterinary specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said the calf's twin sexes indicate the embryos for what might have been fraternal twins likely fused during development, producing one calf with extra parts.

Such calves are rare, usually plagued with internal problems and don't live long, cattle experts say. But so far, Slocum said, the 85-pound calf seems as frisky as the others born on his farm.

"I'm curious to see what happens," he said.