Gym teacher Tugrul Metin was vacationing in coastal town Dikili in Turkey's Aegean Region when he stumbled across an unusual sight on the beach, turning his day into a most interesting and unforgettable one.
"I noticed the dolphin in the sea and watched as it washed on to the beach," he began, as noted by The Daily Mail. "I couldn't take it in at first - I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me - I've never even heard about a dolphin like this let alone seen one with my own eyes - I was completely shocked."
The reason for Metin's shock was that the dolphin in question had not one, but two heads, and shared a single tail. "The dolphin was believed to be a one-year-old calf and measured just over 3.2ft in length," The Huffington Post said. "The condition of having two heads is known as polycephaly. It can affect all sorts of animals, even humans."
See photo here.
The shocked teacher then called the authorities, who responded and took the creature to a laboratory for investigation.
"Early reports said the eyes on one of the dolphin heads were not properly opened - neither was one of the blow holes," the British news source revealed.
"Such a dolphin is a very rare occurence - similar to the occurrence of conjoined human twins," commented Mehmet Gokoglu, an associate professor at Ak Deniz University's marine-biology department.
According to The Independent, fishermen found a two-headed shark back in March last year, while working in the Florida Keys. "They made the discovery after catching a bull shark and opening it up, only to find two live foetuses inside, one of which had two heads," the publication recalled. "Scientists writing about the discovery in the Journal of Fish Biology said it was the first recorded time a two-headed bull shark had been found."
Time pointed out that the said find was "incredibly rare."
Meanwhile, Professor Gokoglu had said that the university "would be happy to display" the remains of the conjoined dolphin. However, they actually do not know where the remains of the said creature is now. The marine biologist also "denied media reports that his university in Antalya, southern Turkey, is studying the remains."
Now that's another mystery. Where could that specimen be? Let's hope it's not in the wrong hands, as the study of such a rare creature can be beneficial for science.
What do you think caused the anomaly in the conjoined dolphin?