[TWINCITIES] BEULAH, N.D. -- Gerald Skalsky was at an auction sale when his wife called about an unusual calf born Wednesday on the couple’s ranch south of Beulah in western North Dakota."You’re just going to have to see it for yourself," she told him.
Skalsky came home to find the calf, seemingly healthy, but with an extra set of hind legs hanging off the side of its neck.
"I’ve been ranching my whole life, and I’ve never seen anything like it," the 59-year-old rancher said as he watched the Black Angus calf’s bald-faced mother come to lick its baby on the nose.
State Veterinarian Susan Keller said the extra limbs could possibly be one of two similar genetic disorders called polydactyly or polymelia. With polymelia, the extra limbs are often smaller or shrunken in appearance.
| Or it could be a chimera, resulting from the blending of two fertilized eggs in the womb. |
Keller became informed on polydactyly from two of her former college professors who were some of the first geneticists trying to determine causes for the disorder and help producers eliminate known carriers. She said polydactyly is one that happens in a multitude of breeds and is the result of genetic combinations involving recessive genes.
Keller suggested taking a DNA sample from the calf, cow and bull and said breed associations sometimes offer to pay for the cost of the test if asked for assistance.