Rudy Santos (born 1953), also known by his stage name Octoman, is a man from the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

who has a rare condition known as

parasitic twin A parasitic twin, also known as an asymmetrical or unequal conjoined twin, is the result of the processes that also produce vanishing twins and conjoined twins, and may represent a continuum between the two. Parasitic twins occur when a twin embry ...

. He is the oldest person ever recorded with this condition. Remaining from his parasitic sibling are an extra leg and couple of arms, including shoulders and an extra pair of nipples, all of them attached to Santos's

pelvis The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The ...

and protruding from his abdomen. Also, an undeveloped head is attached to his

sternum The sternum or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels from injury. Sh ...

, presenting an incipient ear and a patch of hair. Additionally, Santos's own right leg is severely deformed, ending on a stump at the height of the knee, preventing him from walking without the use of crutches.

History

Belonging to an extremely poor family, during the 1970s and 1980s, Santos earned a living by appearing in freak shows, but during the late 1980s, he retired himself into seclusion, plunging into ten years of extreme poverty. In 2008, he was examined by a Filipino expert in separation of

conjoined twins Conjoined twins – sometimes popularly referred to as Siamese twins – are twins joined ''in utero''. A very rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 49,000 births to 1 in 189,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence ...

, and a removal surgery was deemed viable, but Santos ultimately rejected it, claiming that he had grown too attached to his appendages during his life to have them removed at that point.

References

1953 births Living people Sideshow performers Filipino people with disabilities People with parasitic twins Filipino twins {{Philippines-bio-stub