Wisconsin Driver Hits Deer With 7 Legs, Nub Antlers - AP

[hatrack]

FOND DU LAC, Wis. — Rick Lisko hunts deer with a bow but got his most unusual one driving his truck down his mile-long driveway. The young buck had nub antlers — and seven legs. Lisko said it also had both male and female reproductive organs. "It was definitely a freak of nature," Lisko said. "I guess it's a real rarity."

He said he slowed down as the buck and two does ran across the driveway Nov. 22, but the buck ran under the truck and got hit. When he looked at the animal, he noticed three- to four-inch appendages growing from the rear legs. Later, he found a smaller appendage growing from one of the front legs.

"It's a pretty weird deer," he said, describing the extra legs as resembling "crab pinchers." "It kind of gives you the creeps when you look at it," he said, but he thought he saw the appendages moving, as if they were functional, before the deer was hit.

Warden Doug Bilgo of the state Department of Natural Resources came to Lisko's property near Mud Lake in the town of Osceola to tag the deer. "I have never seen anything like that in all the years that I've been working as a game warden and being a hunter myself," Bilgo said. "It wasn't anything grotesque or ugly or anything. It was just unusual that it would have those little appendages growing out like that."

EDIT

http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/shared-gen/ap/Feature_Stories/Seven_Legged_Deer.html

[Ecumenist]

1. My God, that man ate that thing?

Oh, I can't imagine why he wouldn't see that there was a serious problem. It had ambiguous genitalia and extra appendages as well as nubby "antlerettes"? What the hell else was wrong with the poor thing? I say as watch him for "interesting" changes and growths in the months ans years to come.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Could be a weird genetic mutation, but more likely it was exposed

to teratogenic chemicals, would be my guess.

[Ecumenist]

3. Bingo, Jackpine!

That was my first impression and I would NEVER eat, let alone touch, something of this type that I wasn't sure was incapable of further contaminating my person, not to mention eating it. I'd starve first, trust me.

[htuttle]

4. I was thinking it was some sort of parasitic twin

From what I've read, teratogenic chemicals seems to either deform or remove limbs, not add more of them.

But I honestly have no idea, other than that I'm not terribly surprised my fellow cheesehead ate it -- we'll eat about anything that smells good...:D

[havocmom]

5. My thought too.

Did anybody see that doc from years ago about the guy in remote Chinese village with the strange, hairy growth on his cheek? It was a small, underdeveloped head from a twin he had- sometimes things go wrong en-utero and one twin sorta gets surrounded by the other.

Since deer commonly have twin births, it seems likely once in awhile, the situation would come up. Can't recall what it is called. There have been cases of humans with problems which turn out to be undeveloped siblings trapped inside from birth.

[Stargazer99]

6. How much you want to bet that this creature is the result

of corporate America and their fouling of the enviroment has contributed to this abnormality. Anything for the bottom line, no matter who it hurts, kills, maims, etc. This nation worships mammon and the Good Book warned us against this. How long will it take and how much damage will it take before Joe Citizens gets pissed enough to demand control of corporations?