Unicorn deer discovered in Italy

by nukemdomis | June 12, 2008 at 10:45 pm | 361 views | 5 comments

ROME —  A deer with a single horn in the center of its head — much like the fabled, mythical unicorn — has been spotted in a nature preserve in Italy, park officials said Wednesday.

"This is fantasy becoming reality," Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato, told The Associated Press. "The unicorn has always been a mythological animal."

The 1-year-old Roe Deer — nicknamed "Unicorn" — was born in captivity in the research center's park in the Tuscan town of Prato, near Florence, Tozzi said.

He is believed to have been born with a genetic flaw; his twin has two horns.

"This shows that even in past times, there could have been animals with this anomaly," he said by telephone. "It's not like they dreamed it up."

Single-horned deer are rare but not unheard of — but even more unusual is the central positioning of the horn, experts said.

"Generally, the horn is on one side (of the head) rather than being at the center. This looks like a complex case," said Fulvio Fraticelli, scientific director of Rome's zoo. He said the position of the horn could also be the result of a trauma early in the animal's life.

Other mammals are believed to contribute to the myth of the unicorn, including the narwhal, a whale with a long, spiraling tusk.

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Add a comment Comments (5)

Barry Artiste
good stuff:

nukemdomis, I like this story. It's good stuff. 

Now we know where myths originate,


I was in Valkenburg, Netherlands caves a few years ago, and the myths of dragons became apparent with the Romans when they stumbled across the preserved skeleton of a Plesiasaur.

nukemdomis

What were you doing inside the caves Barry? 

Barry Artiste

I was playing tourist........or looking for Bin Laden, who knows!

Beaulieu
good stuff:

nukemdomis, I like this story. It's good stuff.

alen3000
good stuff:

nukemdomis, I like this story. It's good stuff.

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June 12, 2008 at 10:45 pm by nukemdomis, 361 views, 5 comments

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