The Mysterious Case of the 4-Legged Turkey – A Bizarre Biological Occurrence

Have you ever seen a turkey with more than two legs? Probably not, since turkeys, like all birds, normally just have two legs. However, extremely rarely, a turkey can be born with extra limbs in a biological phenomenon called polymelia.

In this article we’ll explore the mystifying case of 4-legged turkeys – where they come from why they have extra legs, and how these bizarre turkeys live.

What Causes a Turkey to Grow Extra Legs?

Turkeys, along with other poultry like chickens, normally develop from an embryo into a chick with two legs But in very uncommon cases, a genetic mutation leads to the embryo developing additional limbs

The technical term for extra limbs is called “polymelia”, which comes from Latin roots meaning “many” and “limbs”. In turkeys, polymelia leads to individuals hatched with more than two legs. While chickens can sometimes have 3 or 4 legs, turkeys with fully formed extra legs are even rarer.

The mutation that results in polymelia is a change in the genes that guide limb development in the embryo. Certain proteins that control leg formation and growth get overproduced or underproduced, leading to too many leg buds appearing on the embryo. The embryo then goes on developing into a mature turkey with the extra legs intact.

Real Cases of 4-Legged Turkeys

While extremely uncommon, there are a handful of real reported cases of 4-legged turkeys being discovered:

• In 2015, a 4-legged turkey named “Lilli” was rescued in Germany. She was taken care of by an animal sanctuary after being found abandoned in the wild.

• A few years ago, a 4-legged turkey name “Tripod” went viral after escaping from a farm and surviving in the woods of Massachusetts for months. He evaded multiple capture attempts before finally being caught.

• In 2017, a turkey farm in the UK hatched a turkey chick with 4 fully formed legs. They planned to keep and care for the special turkey.

• A turkey named “Lucky” with 4 legs, who was spared from being slaughtered for Thanksgiving, found a new home at an animal sanctuary in 2020.

As you can see, many 4-legged turkeys are given appropriate names like “Lucky” or “Tripod”. And most end up living their lives cared for in animal sanctuaries, rather than industrial turkey farms focused on profit. Their unique stories capturing public imagination.

The Challenges of Living With Extra Limbs

For a turkey with polymelia, having two extra legs leads to some disadvantages the bird must adapt to:

• Difficulty walking and balancing – With 4 uncoordinated legs, moving around and maintaining balance is a struggle. But they can learn to walk in time.

• Issues mating – Male turkeys may have trouble mounting females to mate with their extra legs getting in the way. This can reduce reproductive success.

• Physical deformities – Sometimes the extra limbs are not fully formed, twisted, or unable to support weight, leading to deformities.

• Higher mortality rates – Between difficulty feeding, moving, mating, and deformities, 4-legged turkeys have much higher mortality especially in the wild. But with proper care by humans, they can live long lives.

• Reduced meat value – For commercial turkey farms focused on selling meat, turkeys with extra limbs are less profitable. Thus, polymelia turkeys are often killed early unless rescued.

So living with polymelia is an immense challenge for turkeys. But for those that receive care and survive into adulthood, their extra limbs make them novelties both on farms and in sanctuaries.

The Evolutionary Purpose of Occasional Polymelia

From an evolutionary perspective, polymelia and other genetic mutations actually serve an important purpose: increasing biodiversity within a species.

Having a wide range of genetic diversity allows a species to adapt better to changes in the environment. Once in awhile, an unusual mutation like polymelia can actually become beneficial.

For example, if a future climate shift or disease makes standing and moving with 4 legs an advantage, the trait of polymelia could then help the species survive. So while polymelia causes challenges now, it might become useful later!

Caring for a 4-Legged Turkey as a Pet

If you come across a 4-legged turkey, either by finding one or intentionally acquiring one, taking proper care of them as a pet requires some special considerations:

• Housing them with other turkeys, but giving them extra space to move around.

• Providing sturdy ramps and roosts they can easily access without falling.

• Allowing them outdoors but supervising so they don’t injure themselves or escape.

• Gently helping them strengthen walking skills through rehab exercises.

• Providing adequate nutrition from an easy-to-access feeder and clean water.

• Giving them extra attention and affection for enrichment.

• Taking them to an avian vet for care of any deformities or injuries.

While more challenging than a normal 2-legged turkey, caring for a 4-legged turkey can be deeply rewarding. Their rarity makes them novelties, and their differences give them added personality!

Should We View 4-Legged Turkeys as Defects?

Since polymelia is widely considered a genetic defect, it’s common to call 4-legged turkeys “deformed”, “mutated”, or “disabled”. But should we be so quick to apply these negative labels?

An alternative perspective is to see them as simply unique individuals with differences, not deficiencies. They have additional limbs, not defective limbs. Their “disabilities” largely arise from being forced to live in environments not suited to their bodies.

If given the proper care, respect, and environment to live free from harm, a 4-legged turkey can lead a meaningful life full of fun turkey experiences like dust baths, roosting, chowing down, and socializing!

So instead of focusing on their “defects”, we can focus on their impressive adaptations allowing them to survive and even thrive. Their extra limbs make them special turkeys worthy of our fascination, not discrimination.

The Takeaway: Celebrating Biological Diversity

The exceedingly rare phenomenon of 4-legged turkeys may seem bizarre at first glance. But appreciating their improbable existence opens our minds to the diversity of life, and new perspectives on disabilities.

Hopefully, this article gave you a sense of wonder about these unique turkeys. Instead of rejecting them as mutant freaks, we should celebrate how differences like extra limbs can arise in biology. When given compassion, different can be beautiful.

So next time you hear about a 4-legged turkey, remember there’s more to them than just an oddity. They represent nature’s creativity, and an opportunity to promote disability acceptance. Gobble gobble!