Narwhal The Unicorn Puppy with a Tail Growing out of His Forehead

A rescued puppy is attracting a lot of attention because of his resemblance to a unicorn. Narwhal is by many measures a normal puppy. 

Well, his full name is “Narwhal the Little Magical Furry Unicorn,” according to dog rescue nonprofit organization Mac’s Mission, which took him in after he was discovered last Saturday. He was found in the freezing cold, with what appears to be the beginnings of frostbite on one paw.

The rescue service found Narwhal, who’s since become an Internet sensation, after he’d been wandering around in freezing cold temperatures in Jackson, Missouri. Besides the unusual tail on his face, he also was nursing an injured paw.


Narwhal was rescued over the weekend and sent to Mac’s Mission in Jackson, which specializes in fostering animals with special needs. Mac’s Mission founder Rochelle Steffen says Narwhal doesn’t notice the extra tail and is otherwise a happy, healthy puppy. Although it looks like a tail, Narwhal cannot wag it.

“The tail is likely a congenital defect,” he said. “Those usually manifest in dogs as cleft palates or extra toes, and the causes can range from environmental factors to toxins the puppy’s mother may have been exposed to.”

Steffen took Narwhal to Cape Small Animal Clinic to be examined. Dr. Brian Heuring, who has been a veterinarian for 16 years, told USA TODAY he's never seen a puppy like Narwhal.

Narwhal exemplifies the rescue group’s philosophy that their charges are all the more lovable for their abnormalities, Steffen said. She’s hopeful their “magical” dog’s splash of attention can do the same for other dogs in need.

It’s not clear what happened to the two of them before they were discovered, but a spokesperson from Mac’s Mission told CNN Narwhal is from rural Missouri in the Midwest, and loves to play and now, he has thousands of fans online, after his special tail catapulted him to internet fame.

Mac’s Mission is planning to hold on to the doggo for a little while longer, keeping an eye on him as he grows and making sure the face tail doesn’t eventually turn into a problem of some sort. For now, he’s continuing to bask in the service’s love that has also happened to turn him into the dog version of an Internet celebrity. This photo of him, posted to the service’s Facebook page on Tuesday night, has been “liked” at the time of this writing almost 9,500 times.