Unicorn deer

June 11, 2008 -- A deer with a single horn in the center of is head -- much like the fabled, mythical unicorn -- has been spotted in a nature preserve in Italy... The one-year-old Roe Deer -- nicknamed "Unicorn" -- was born in captivity in the research center's park... He is believed to have been born with a genetic flaw; his twin has two horns.

... such anomalies among deer may have inspired the myth of the unicorn.

Single-horned deer are rare but not unheard of -- but even more unusual is the central positioning of the horn, experts said. "Generally, the horn is on one side (of the head) rather than being at the center..."

Other mammals are believed to contribute to the myth of the unicorn, including the narwhal, a whale with a long, spiraling tusk.

(Credit for image and text to Discovery Channel)