WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES

SNAPS of a mutant piglet born with a human face and appendage on its head have gone viral, with speculation rife about what could have caused the abnormality.

The runt of the litter was born alive and squealing on a Chinese farm, but died after being rejected by its mother and refusing to bottle feed.

There are reports the newborn pig may have suffered from cyclopia, an extremely rare birth defect which results in just one eye where the nose should be.

It occurs when genetic problems or toxins disrupt the embryonic forebrain-dividing process.

Humans and animals born with this condition die shortly after birth.

media_camera Piglet ... a farmer says he was inundated with cash offers for a pig born with a human face. Picture: Australscope

Farmer Tao Lu said he couldn’t believe his eyes when the strange-looking piglet was born on his property in Yanan township in Nanning city in southern China.

After news spread of the mutant pig, neighbours rushed to the farmer’s home.

“I was one of a dozen people went there to see the piglet, and it really did human face and exactly like he said, a willie growing out of its forehead,” local Wu Kung, who posted his images, said.

media_camera Oink oink ... the piglet was born with a ‘willie’ on its forehead and a human-like head. Picture: Australscope

Farmer Tao said he was amazed because he received phone calls from collectors prepared to pay a large sum of money for the animal.

“It was a large litter, and the mutant was one of the last of 19 piglets to be born,” he said.

“All the others were normal, just this one was really bizarre. It is a shame it died, I could have got more money for it them for the rest of the family put together based on what people were offering me on the phone.”

He said they had wanted to put the mutant pig on display to attract visitors.

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Originally published as Did this cause mutant pig face?