GROSS OUT?

Curiosity seekers have thronged a farm in the Philippines to wave hello to four-month-old Kambal--who has seven legs with which to wave back! How come? Kambal, which means "twins" in Tagalog (Filipino language), may be conjoined (physically connected) twin pigs. Identical twins develop when a single fertilized egg splits into two and each develops separately during pregnancy. But if the split wasn't complete, the twins may share body parts. Conjoined pigs are not very common. "I probably see only one per year or every other year" says Lisa Tokach of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians. Another possible explanation for seven-legged Kambal: a congenital (condition that exists at birth) defect. "It's not a disease. The organs, or in this case the limbs, did not get the right signals during their development" says Tokach. "The fetus just wasn't formed normally from the start"