Water Buffalo × Human
Mammalian Hybrids
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Some born of a cow have the foreparts of a man; others, on the contrary, spring up begotten of a woman but with the head of a cow.
—Empedocles, Fragments
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An alleged stillborn cow-human hybrid birthed by a cow in Thailand in 2009. Note the cloven hooves and tail. Enlarge
In Thailand in 2009, a cow is alleged to have given birth to a stillborn creature with a human-like body and head, but with cloven hooves in place of hands and feet (it's unclear whether the mother in this case was a zebu or a water buffalo, though the latter seems more consistent with the appearance of the creature born in 2017, shown in the video above). None of the sources are authoritative (one such site where this event is alleged can be seen here), but the photos are of interest. Apparently, there were such difficulties at birth that the mother cow died, which perhaps caused the death of the weird offspring as well. However that may be, a more recent birth in southeast Asia (recorded in the video above) suggests that such creatures can be viable, as is also indicated by certain of the news reports and historical records.
EnlargeClose-up of the alleged hybrid.
Video showing a "calf" birthed by a water buffalo in southeast Asia in June 2017, which is ostensibly from a water buffalo/human cross. This animated gif is an excerpt from this YouTube video. Some internet sources allege the creature pictured above was birthed by a goat. However, note that no goat could give birth to so large an offspring.
Buddhist funeral for an alleged stillborn cow-human hybrid birthed by a cow in Thailand in 2009. Enlarge
As to the 2009 case, according to the various reports, the birth occurred in a rural setting and locals carried out Buddhist funeral rites, as these pictures show. Residents also made an effort to contact scientists and, in an effort to preserve the strange animal in the tropical heat, kept an electric fan trained on the carcass to keep it cool. It seems, however, that no scientist came quickly enough, and that the villagers either buried, or more likely, cremated the decomposing remains.
As can be seen in the pictures, the body has been coated with juice and talcum powder, as part of the Buddhist rites. The purpose of the ceremony was, in accordance with Buddhist belief, to help the soul of the deceased move on to a more auspicious body in the next life.
It's of interest that both the general appearance of the creature pictured here and the accounts given of it on the internet, agree well (i.e., human-like head with cow-like ears, human-like body, but with a cow-like tail, and cloven hooves in place of hands and feet) with the many accounts of alleged cow-human hybrids quoted elsewhere on this site. In size it is also consistent with those accounts in that it is much closer to the size of a newborn calf than to that of a human newborn.
The various internet reports refer to the mother either as a cow or a buffalo. Since the locale is Thailand, the former would refer to a zebu (Bos indicus), the latter, to a water buffalo (Bubalis bubalus). Pictures of both these animals appear at right.
The coloration of the 2009 specimen is difficult to determine due to the heavy coating of powder, but that of the 2017 specimen, shown in the video at the top of this page, seems to suggest a water buffalo parent.
It's unfortunate that the creature birthed in 2009 was not preserved for genetic testing, at least it doesn't seem to have been. As to the other, shown in the video, since it was viable, it may be that it still exists, though its location is unknown.
More about cow-human hybrids >>
Two minotaur-like water buffalo/human hybrids (Wat Pho, Thailand; Image: Anandajoti Bhikkhu).
This page was part of a draft for a chapter on this topic that has now been published in its finished form in my book Telenothians, which is available here.
By the same author: Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World, Oxford University Press (2006).