A rare two-headed cow born in a herd in Turkey has been shown off by amazed cattleman Rustem Kahraman.

The black and white calf was born alive at a farm in Tokat, Anatolia region, but died within an hour reports local media.

Photos of the calf show its clearly defined two heads which each have a pair of eyes and a mouth but seem fused at one side of the jawbones

Farmer Rustem who raises cattle full time on his farm told local media: “For the first time in my life, I encountered such a situation, and I am very surprised.”

Villagers who heard about the rare birth flocked to Kahraman’s barn to see the animal.

Local vets confirmed it was unclear what caused the mutation, but said it would most likely either genetic or environmental most likely as a result of pollution.

They said that as a result of one of the factors above, the embryo had not developed properly inside the mother cow.

The event sparked various reactions on social media.

A Facebook user named Halil Cakmak commented: “That’s an example of how God is capable of anything.”

Another, named Musa Ceyhan, wrote: “God would create animals with two heads already if they meant to have two heads. This has nothing to do with God, but men, who feed those animals with genetically modified crops.”