Meet Batman. We're not talking about the fictional superhero that roams the streets of Gotham City. This Batman is a furry, four-legged feline with his own unique attributes that have earned him the extraordinary moniker.
Batman is a 3-year-old black cat that was surrendered to the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society in Pittsburgh in early July, according to ABC News. (He has since found a forever home.) He's not an ordinary cat though.
Advertisement
He has an unusual appearance that is believed to be the result of a rare genetic mutation most likely the result of having two parents with the same recessive gene mutation.
Batman (the cat) was born with two sets of ears! Yes, you heard correctly, this little guy has four ears. You need to see the photo below to know what we mean.
The mutation causes the development of four pinnae or ear flaps (not extra ear canals or hearings organs), according to Wikipedia. So despite the super name, this Batman and cats like him don't have any extraordinary hearing abilities. The mutation was first documented in 1938 in Ashtabula, Ohio, in a cat named Toots, according to a Tribune Media Group report published on WNEP, and was first studied in 1957.
Though the deformity is very rare, Batman is not the first — or most famous — four-eared feline to capture the public’s attention.
In 2008, Yoda the grey house cat from Illinois took the internet and the world by storm with his unusual looks. Yoda’s looks have captivated more than 16 million people worldwide and continue to do so.
Advertisement
There's just something about those ears that have the world talking.
Share this story with your friends on Facebook!