Foetal maldevelopment in a litter of large white pigs

Abstract

Congenital deformities in a litter of Large White piglets, characterized by "kinky tails," cleft palates, hare lips, split ears, deformed limbs, supernumerary digits, and urogenital defects, are described and illustrated.
Breeding work to determine the cause of the deformities was not conducted, but it is suggested that they have a complex genetic basis that may involve a threshold during development.