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 earlier this month.
“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.”
PHOTO: AP
The one-year-old roe deer, which is 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,” Tozzi said by telephone. “It’s not like they dreamed it up.” Single-horned deer are rare, but not unheard of. 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. (AP)
義大利一個自然保護區的工作人員本月稍早表示，園區內出現一頭頭部正中央長了一隻角的獨角鹿，模樣極像神話傳說中的獨角獸。
普拉托自然科學中心主任吉爾勃托．托茲在接受美聯社採訪時表示：「這是幻想成真。」
「獨角獸向來是神話中才會出現的動物。」
托茲說，這隻一歲大的獐鹿綽號「獨角獸」，出生於托斯卡尼行政區首府佛羅倫斯附近的普拉托城研究中心豢養園區。
據信，牠一出生就有遺傳缺陷；牠的孿生兄弟有兩隻角。
托茲說他還是第一次看到這樣的獨角鹿。他並表示，這類「畸形」鹿可能是獨角獸神話的靈感來源。
獨角獸是一種具有神奇治癒能力的類馬動物，從古代及中世紀的文字記載到現代的《哈利波特》冒險故事等傳說故事中，都可見其身影。
托茲接受電訪時說：「這顯示過去也可能出現過這種突變動物，所謂獨角獸不像是胡謅出來的。」專家表示，獨角鹿雖然罕見，但過去也有聽聞；這隻公鹿最特別的地方是牠的角不偏不倚地長在正中間。
羅馬動物園的科學主任傅維爾．佛拉帝賽利說：「一般而言，角會長在（頭的）某一邊而不是正中央，這看起來是個複雜的案例。」他說這隻角的位置也可能是這隻鹿早期受傷所造成的結果。
其他哺乳類動物據信也是獨角獸傳說的靈感來源，其中包括帶有一根螺旋狀長牙的獨角鯨。
（美聯社�翻譯：袁星塵）
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