A group of fishermen accidentally discovered the world’s first two-headed porpoise, but tossed it back into the sea for fear of getting into trouble. The bizarre animal was picked up by a Dutch trawler near Hoek van Holland, and is the first known case of conjoined twin porpoises. Fearing it would be illegal to keep the specimen, the fishermen took a few quick photographs of the dead creature and threw it back into the ocean.
They have already confirmed that the porpoises died shortly after birth because the tail had not stiffened, which allows newborn porpoises to swim. Both heads also had small hairs on the upper lip, which should fall out shortly after the animals are born. The harbor porpoise is one of the most common cetaceans – a group of marine life which includes whales and dolphins – found in north-west European waters. READ MORE
