Unicorn Deer Found in Italian Preserve
A deer born with only a single horn through a genetic anomaly is all the rage in an Italian nature preserve. Associated Press reports the one-year-old Roe deer was born in Prato’s Center of Natural Sciences and his twin has the normal two horn setup you would expect.
Experts say even more unusual than the single horn is its central positioning, just like the mythical one-horned horse. Generally a one-horned deer would have the horn on one of the sides of its head, closer to where it would appear if the animal had two horns. Nature experts are saying such an anomaly might have even been responsible for spawning the unicorn myth centuries ago.
This now world famous deer has of course earned the nickname “Unicorn.” To our knowledge though, it has no healing, wish-granting or other magical powers. Repeated questions about where Rainbow Brite is have gone unanswered as well.
Image courtesy of Elephant_Mom 2003 licensed under Creative Commons.
3 Comments
My husband was just showing me this picture yesterday. So weird.
Rainbow Brite didn’t have a unicorn. She had Starlite, a horse with a star on its forehead. The Arabian Oryx is credited with being one of the biggest sources for the unicorn myth. An albino deer with one central antler would be even more amazing and unicorn-like.
Good catch, Mous. I must confess it’s been a looong time since I saw Rainbow Brite.