A group of Dutch fishermen accidentally discovered a rare two-headed dolphin but quickly released it back into the sea.
A two-headed dolphin was discovered by a Dutch fisherman.
This strange creature was caught by a Dutch fisherman near Hoek van Holland, the southwestern town connected to the North Sea. This is the first known case of conjoined twin dolphins.
Fearing that it was illegal to keep the specimen, the fishermen took several pictures of the animal and released it back into the ocean.
They confirmed the dolphin died shortly after birth because its tail was not as stiff as normal newborn dolphins.
The dolphin found belongs to the harbor porpoise, one of the most common marine mammals, commonly found in the waters of northwestern Europe.
“The anatomy of marine mammals is very different from that of terrestrial mammals. A lot remains a mystery,” Erwin Kompanje, an expert from Erasmus University Rotterdam, told New Scientist .
“Finding more unusual cases of whales or dolphins will lead to more understanding about them,” said Mr Kompanje.
He said it was a pity that the fishermen threw this creature back into the sea because it was difficult to find it again for research purposes.
According to the Telegraph , the above-mentioned two-headed dolphin is the 10th case of conjoined twins discovered in the group of marine mammals.
“It is extremely rare to find normal twins in cetaceans. The female body simply does not have enough room to accommodate more than one fetus,” Kompanje said.
