All newborn babies are beautiful, but some have a bit more of a unique look about them than others.
Baby Jonathan was born at United Hospital in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in early hours of January 28, tipping the scales at 6lbs 13oz.
With a face which could melt the hardest of hearts – and the most precious little feet – Jonathan is every bit a beautiful, healthy baby boy. And he also has the back hair of a 50-year-old bloke.
Proud parents Anthony Lopez, 28, and Nancy Rivera, 26, were left flabbergasted after Jonathan made his entrance into the world; with his arms, legs, back and shoulders covered in thick black hair. The infant even had the beginnings of a beard.
Lab technician Anthony was left taken aback by the shock of jet black hair on his son’s head and how it covered the rest of his tiny body, describing him as a ‘mini Wolverine’:
Jonathan is like a mini Wolverine. We cannot believe how much hair he has. When he first came out it had almost formed a beard on his face and some people have joked he will be shaving before he starts walking.
All of the nurses were joking he was going to keep warm during the winter. All of our family have found it really entertaining.
The couple were completely unaware of Jonathan’s wolfishness during Nancy’s pregnancy, with ultrasound scans failing to pick up on his fuzz.
To make matters even more supernatural, Jonathan was actually born while still in his amniotic sac, a rare occurrence that is regarded to be lucky in some cultures.
Nurses have told Anthony and Nancy that the little boy’s hair will most likely fall out naturally during bathing, meaning he won’t get to keep his werewolf powers for long.
Anthony said:
The ultrasounds weren’t the new 4D machines, so everything looked just normal. We could tell he was going to be a boy but that was all.
Mostly everyone that visits just says ‘wow he’s got lots of hair’ and jokes about him being born a grown-up man.
According to an article in Today’s Parent, soft, downy hair on a newborn is known as lanugo (pronounced ‘la-NOO-go’).
This peach fuzz is produced by fetal hair follicles during the second trimester, and ensure a baby stays warm while still inside the womb.
Many babies will shed their lanugo in utero (at around 32 to 36 weeks), while others will be born with it. With these youngsters, lanugo will normally vanish within the first few weeks of life, replaced by finer and less visible vellus hair.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.