Coming across a mountain lion in southeastern Idaho isn’t all that uncommon, but one particular large feline has garnered quite a lot of attention – and it’s no surprise.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) were notified of a mountain lion attack on a dog on a rural private property.
The dog's owner then traced the mountain lion’s tracks and killed him after the he ran away.
Mountain lions can be legally hunted in Idaho and are classified as a big game animal like elk and mule deer, but because of their "elusiveness and wariness", encounters with human are rare.
Upon closer inspection he noticed an unusual deformity – a fully formed set of teeth and what appeared to be whiskers growing from his head.
The IDFG say there’s no concrete explanation as to what this deformity is. They say it may be the remnants of a conjoined twin that died in the womb and was absorbed into the other foetus, according to the Idaho State Journal.
It is also possible that deformity was a teratoma tumour which consists of tissue from which teeth, hair, and even fingers and toes can develop, but is rare in humans and animals.
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