FAMILY WITH 12 FINGERS AND TOES

Courtesy of Zman Magazine

Ever heard of someone with six fingers and six toes on each of his hands and feet? How about if I tell you about an entire family for whom 24 fingers and toes are normal?

The members of the Da Silva family, who live in Brazil’s capital city of Brasilia, are very proud of their excess fingers. They thank a rare genetic condition called polydactyly that is passed from one generation to the next for their unusual endowment. The family insists that the extra digits do not impede their everyday activities at all. On the contrary, the extra fingers prove very “handy” in many situations. Joao de Assis, 15, points out that his hands are larger than his friend’s in order to accommodate the extra finger. That gives him a great advantage at various sports in school.

The first member of the family to have six fingers was de Assis’ great-great-grandmother. Her granddaughter Silvia Santos da Silva, de Assis’ grandmother, says that no one in the family feels discriminated against because of their condition. In fact, members who are born without the additional digits feel like the odd ones out.