Images of a pig born with a monkey's face have gone viral

Images  of a piglet born with the head of a monkey viral on social media, as viewers branded the strange creature 'a monkey pig'.

The animal appears to have a considerably shortened snout as well as monkey-like ears and eyes.

Sadly, the piglet died just four days after it was born.

A video of the pig showed its owner holding it up in his arms as a crowd gathered around to look at it in the city of Ciego de Avila in central Cuba.

"One of a kind, never seen before", one of the bystanders can be heard commenting.

According to local media, the owner visited a vet, who explained that the piglet had been born with a congenital defect which caused its look - and its death.

It is not the first time that a porcine creature has come into the world looking like it belongs in a jungle, with deformed pigs being reported from South America through to China. 

Some blamed environmental pollution while others argue people are simply more aware of such deformities due to social media.

Whatever the reason, the monkey-piglet quickly became something of a local tourist attraction, with people coming from across the area to photograph its remarkable features before it died.

Mirror