A woman in Kodagu in Karnataka has given birth to a mermaid-like baby. The baby was born with a tail-like part and fused legs. Its genitals were not seen and so, the doctors couldn't ascertain its sex. The baby breathed its last minutes after it was born.

It may be noted that the birth of mermaid-like babies is not an unknown phenomenon. Only in March this year, such a baby was born, only to die later, in Hyderabad. This phenomenon is termed in medicine as Sirenomelia.

"Sirenomelia, which is also known as mermaid syndrome, is an extremely rare congenital developmental disorder characterized by anomalies of the lower spine and the lower limbs. Affected infants are born with a partial or complete fusion of the legs," a medical organization says.