Girl with 12 fingers, 14 toes reaches for a record

Published : Feb 16, 2011 - 11:54 Updated : Feb 16, 2011 - 11:54

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ From almost the moment Le Yati Min was born, her mother knew the girl had a little something extra.

``I asked the nurses whether my kid was born complete with hands and legs,'' says her mother. ``They replied that the baby even has more than she needs.''

Born with 12 fingers and 14 toes, Le may be the most ``digitally enhanced'' person in the world. Now, the 16-month-old girl's family in impoverished Myanmar is seeking a Guinness World Record to prove it.

A neighbor is helping her mother apply to claim the record hearing that a boy from India currently hold bragging rights for the most digits, with 12 fingers and 13 toes.

Polydactylism _ being born with an extra finger or toe _ is fairly unusual, but it is even more rare for someone to have spare functional digits on both hands and feet, as Le does.

The girl with 12 fingers and 14 toes (AP-Yonhap News)

Le lives with her family in a small wooden house on the outskirts of the Southeast Asian country's former capital of Yangon, where she runs around with seven toes on each foot.

Proud mom Phyo Min Min Soe, 26, said Tuesday that she'd be happen to see Le gain a world record, but even without that, her daughter already has a happy life, and even some natural advantages.

``She seems to have a stronger grip on things _ so she doesn't drop things much,'' she says, as Le plays nearby with a mobile phone.

According to the Guinness World Records website, the record for most fingers and toes for a living person is currently held by two people in India, who have 12 fingers and 13 toes each.

(Yonhap News)

<한글 기사>

세계에서 손가락.발가락이 가장 많은 사람은

미얀마 16개월 여아 `손가락 12개, 발가락 14개'

(방콕=연합뉴스) 생후 16개월이 된 미얀마의 한 여아가 12개의 손가락과 14개의 발가락을 가진 것으로 알려지면서 관심을 모으고 있다고 AP통신이 16일 보도했다.

미얀마 옛 수도인 양곤의 외곽에 살고 있는 `레 야티 민'(생후 16개월)의 가족은 레가 세계에서 가장 많은 손가락과 발가락을 가졌다며 기네스 기록에 도전할 계 획인 것으로 알려졌다.

종전에는 인도에 살고 있는 두 사람이 12개의 손가락과 13개의 발가락을 갖고 있는 것으로 확인돼 세계 최고 기록을 보유하고 있다.

민의 어머니인 피오 민 민 소에(26)는 "레가 세계 기록을 경신하면 매우 기쁠 것"이라면서 "레는 기록 경신과 상관없이 이미 행복하게 살고 있다"고 말했다.

피오는 "여분의 손가락을 가진 레는 물건을 잘 떨어뜨리지 않는 등의 천부적 혜택을 누리고 있다"면서 "보통 아이와는 다르지만 레가 매우 자랑스럽다"고 덧붙였다.