It turns out the piebald deer that was recently spotted in Ohio isn’t the only rare animal born in the Buckeye State this year.
The owners of an Ohio farm recently welcomed an extremely rare animal — a hybrid of two farm animals. How rare is it? So rare that no statistics are kept to track the number of births, according to Fox 8.
Here’s what to know.
A farm in Olmsted Falls gives birth to a ‘geep’
Husband and wife farm owners Joe and Bridget Johnson, who have a family farm in Olmsted Falls, recently welcomed a newborn that left stumped.
They have many farm animal rescues and their offspring, including goats and sheep, a miniature donkey, and a miniature horse.
On Memorial Day 2026, Clara was born. They initially thought she was a goat, until they examined her more and realized she was a ‘geep’.
What is a geep? It’s a goat-and-sheep hybrid, but it’s extremely rare to see one survive so long after being born.
How can a sheep and a goat produce offspring?
Sheep and goats often live together on a farm, and they can mate, according to Discover Wildlife. But successfully producing a geep, and having it survive so long after birth, is very rare due to chromosomal differences.
Sheep have only 54 chromosomes, while goats have 60 chromosomes. Most pregnancies result in stillborn geeps. That makes Clara one of the rarest farm animals you’ll find anywhere.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ohio farm has rare animal that almost never survives past birth
Reporting by Mariyam Muhammad, USA TODAY NETWORK / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mariyam Muhammad, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
