A group of fishermen in the Netherlands made a historic catch when they pulled in their net and discovered that it contained a two-headed porpoise.
To call the remarkable creature rare would be an understatement as it is actually the first time that such a porpoise has ever been found and is just the 10th known case of partial twinning seen in cetaceans.
Thinking that keeping the jaw-dropping porpoise could be against the law, the fishermen opted to release it back into the water after taking a few pictures of the creature.
Ironically, though, marine biologists lamented their decision, since a hands-on examination of the unique specimen would have allowed for scientists to possibly learn more about partial twinning of cetaceans.
Nonetheless, they were able to glean some information from the photos taken by the fishermen and concluded that the animal had likely been dead when the crew caught it and probably passed away shortly after being born.
Fortunately the fishermen were savvy enough to document the discovery, both for the sake of science and simply because their fellow seafarers probably wouldn't have believed their story without proof.
Source: New Scientist