Holoprosencephaly- a horrifying and fatal defect of the face caused when the brain fails to evolve into two hemispheres- casing facial and skull deformation. Babies usually pass on

What causes holoprosencephaly?
There are different possible causes for Holoprosencephaly: Genetic conditions: Up to three in four (75%) of babies with HPE have a genetic condition that caused it. The most common genetic change causing HPE involves having an extra chromosome, but there are a variety of other genetic changes that can cause HPE.

Those with severe defects caused by the mutation do not last past the first hours of infancy- while some may live into middle-adult hood.

what does HPE look like?
Most human beings with HPE are born with no nose, a drastic cleft pallete, and concaved eyes that sink into the face. Sometimes they can have a slight conal shape to the nape of their head due to the Single-hemisphered brain-

in more drastic cases it can vary as to an example i will show below at the end of the thread.

So what would a lion cub with HPE look like? as i do not have the materials to design a lineart- i could see this as an opposite laying version of the Cleft Palate Line art- with the head facing more upward- the snout and eyes could be convexed as in human patients so you could see the inside of the mouth- which would naturally be slightly agape with the tongue and slight protruding milk-teeth visible. HPE Lions could live for 1 Rollover before they die.
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rescources:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MedicalGore/comments/18lfm1s/holoprosencephaly_the_brain_failed_to_divide_in/<~~~ Graphic Content Warning!
https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/holoprosencephaly/