A mountain lion, that was legally shot and killed by a hunter in the state of Idaho on December 30th was found to have an abnormality that would give most people the creeps.
According to the Idaho Fish and Game department, the hunted animal had a jaw full of teeth sticking out from the top of its head above the animal’s left eye; the deformity even came complete with whiskers.
It’s suggested that the animal may have had a conjoined twin that died in the womb before birth, or that the animal suffered from a teratoma tumor, which is a type of tumor in which hair, teeth, fingers, nails, and other body parts can form and grow from.
There was no opening to suggest a second mouth existed – it was just a lump with teeth and whiskers that appeared where you’d least expect to see it.
Idaho Fish and Game issues statement on deformed mountain lion https://t.co/Ynowgofjy9 pic.twitter.com/cR6lcrEPbG
— CarnivoreScience (@CarnivoreSci) January 9, 2016
The true reason for why the animal had this deformity is a mystery, but it’s definitely one of those oddities that will have experts scratching their heads for times to come.
The oddity was discovered and made public after local authorities checked the animal after the hunting as required by law. The mountain lion was reportedly attacking a man’s dog near the city of Preston when the man decided to track it and kill it less than three hours later. The dog involved in the attack is said to have survived the wrangle with the large cat.
Mountain lions are common in Idaho and are legal to hunt, although because they’re smart predators, they know how to avoid humans pretty well, and so encounters aren’t very common.
In this case, the rare mountain lion just appeared to be an even rarer instance than everybody expected.
Source: Idaho Fish and Game