A six-legged calf that was born with an additional set of legs emerging from its neck has grown up and is still alive despite vets’ predictions it would not last a year.

Farmer Divino Paulo was shocked when the calf later named Gambiarra saw the light of day on his farmland in the city of Edeia, Goias State, Brazil, last year.

Paulo said that the surprise followed after he looked out into one of his cow pastures and realised that the little calf had six legs, with the extra pair growing from its neck.

Vets were at first worried about Gambiarra’s health and did not think it would survive due to its condition, the farmer said.

But in a recent interview with Brazilian newspaper ‘Globo’, Paulo claimed that the calf is in excellent condition and leads a normal life.

He said: “He’s alive and his name is Gambiarra.”

Federal University of Goias (UFG) professor, Paulo Jose Bastos Queiroz, explained that the condition is called polymelia.

Queiroz continued that the disorder is a birth defect in which an affected individual has more than the usual number of limbs.

He added: “Polymelia can be caused by genetic mutations and also by the inadequate growth of twins during pregnancy.

“These causes may be associated with diseases or nutritional deficiencies that affect the development of fetuses during pregnancy.”