Brazilian family all have 12 fingers and toes… and they're putting them to good use as goalkeepers and pianists!
Chris Pleasance
For most new parents, the news that their baby is suffering from a deformity would be devastating news.
But not the Da Silva family, from Brazil, who are proud of the fact that fourteen members of their 23-strong clan were born with six fingers and toes each - including new arrival Vinicius.
The family hopes that when he is older, he will be able to put his extra digits to good use, like brother Joao Assis who is a goalkeeper or sister Maria Morena, who uses hers to play the piano.
While most parents would be devastated to learn their child was suffering from an abnormality, the Da Silvas hope each new addition to the family has an extra finger
Baby Vinicius is the newest addition to the 12-strong clan. His father, Alessandro, has extra fingers, while mother Katia does not, meaning he had a 50/50 chance of having the gene
The Da Silvas, who live just outside the capital Brasilia, have decided to celebrate their difference, rather than hiding it, saying it is 'a mark that nobody else has'
New father Alessandro said: 'This is a mark that no other family has, it's what makes us stand out from the crowd.'
essandro has six fingers, whilst his wife Katia, only has five - meaning there was a 50 per cent chance of their baby boy inheriting the six-finger gene.
With their first son Guilherme proudly owning six fingers, they were hoping their newborn would follow suit.