Single-Horned Deer Excites Fantasy Fans

Roe Deer Living In Rome, Nicknamed "Unicorn," Has Genetic Flaw, Giving Him Centered Horn

(AP)  A deer with a single horn in the center of its head - much like the fabled, mythical unicorn - has been spotted in a nature preserve in Italy, park officials said Wednesday.

"This is fantasy becoming reality," Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato, told The Associated Press. "The unicorn has always been a mythological animal."

The 1-year-old Roe Deer - nicknamed "Unicorn" - was born in captivity in the research center's park in the Tuscan town of Prato, near Florence, Tozzi said.

He is believed to have been born with a genetic flaw; his twin has two horns.

Calling it the first time he has seen such a case, Tozzi said such anomalies among deer may have inspired the myth of the unicorn.

The unicorn, a horse-like creature with magical healing powers, has appeared in legends and stories throughout history, from ancient and medieval texts to the adventures of Harry Potter.

"This shows that even in past times, there could have been animals with this anomaly," he said by telephone. "It's not like they dreamed it up."

Single-horned deer are rare but not unheard of - but even more unusual is the central positioning of the horn, experts said.

"Generally, the horn is on one side (of the head) rather than being at the center. This looks like a complex case," said Fulvio Fraticelli, scientific director of Rome's zoo. He said the position of the horn could also be the result of a trauma early in the animal's life.

Other mammals are believed to contribute to the myth of the unicorn, including the narwhal, a whale with a long, spiraling tusk.

[truthislife1]

The human must be able to go beyond all the hatred, hypocrisy, lies, religion, and examine himself and wonder how is he in his body?

[terrorislami]

Posted by cneron at 03:19 AM : Jun 12, 2008

and fascist nazi terrorislam is the worst of the worst,,,

so much so, it is more like a satanic cult,,,

[incog-nito]

This is surely a sign that the End of Days is near.

[thericster1]

I don''t know why he needs that horn, he''s not going to be in heavy traffic!

[samthetvcat]

Ooh, he''s so cute!

[l8c6]

So it wasn''t a fairy tale after all. Probably not the first Unicorn to walk the face of the earth.

[truthislife1]

Sure are a lot of Christian haters out there. Maybe you should do some research to figure out who the non-hypocritical non-counterfeit ones are before you lump them all together. Hypocrisy is a world problem, not a church problem. By the way, nice horn.

[hillary4us]

IT''S A SIGN! HILLARY WILL BE PRESIDENT!

[Latrocinor]

Hey, I am healed.

Posted by rushlimpdrug
.. .. ..

Sure you are Mr Johnson. Sure you are.

[zykracosmos]

"There are people who train goats horns..."
Posted by BlackYowe at 07:59 PM : Jun 11, 2008

Hmm. Training goats horns. Do you have to give them a treat, use a whip? How do you train a horn. Didn''t know horns had anything to think with to allow training myself.