Baby born with rare tail gets his ‘ball and chain’ removed
This miracle tot’s harrowing “tail” got cut a little short.
Doctors were flabbergasted over the case of a Brazilian boy, who was one of very few babies ever to be born with a true human tail — a “rare congenital anomaly,” according to a case study in the Journal of Pediatric Case Surgery Reports.
Per the research, the unnamed infant’s “epic tail” began sprouting in the womb where, like all babies, he developed an embryonic appendage around four to eight weeks after gestation, the Daily Mail reported.
However, while the fifth limb is normally reabsorbed to form the tailbone, this tyke’s butt tassel continued to grow.
By the time the child was born prematurely at 35 weeks, he sported a 6-inch posterior protuberance with a 1.5 inch-wide ball at the tip like a meaty medieval mace.
The newborn’s appendage was comprised of only tissue and fat, making him one of less than 40 documented children in history to be born with a true tail, according to BMJ Case Reports. By contrast, far more babies are born with pseudo-tails, protrusions that jut out from the base of the spine and contain cartilage and bone.
The boy’s appendage is particularly unique given that humans’ ape ancestors shed their tails around 25 million years ago, according to NewScientist — although it’s unclear if the baby’s was an evolutionary straggler.
Despite not suffering any complications from his fifth limb, the family opted to remove the “ball and chain.” However, the study didn’t disclose why they chose to do so (i.e., whether it was causing him pain or discomfort) — or the details of how the procedure was carried out.
Meanwhile, this isn’t the first time someone has been endowed with a unique appendage. In 2019, a UK man baffled doctors after a 5-inch cancerous “dragon horn” sprouted out of his back despite him having no history of skin cancer.
