The news of an unusual alien-like baby born in China has received an intensive coverage in the media recently. Ms. Li Hui-Ying, a village from China’s Jiangxi Province, gave birth to a boy with frog’s eyes. The baby also had big bumps on his head and even a small tail on his bottom. The boy does not have any eating, drinking or sleeping disorders, but his parents still try to bring him to treat in the hospital. However, all the hospitals that the parents have been to so far refuse to accept the weird patient claiming that they have never had such an unusual incident in their experience.

Such terrible abnormalities can be explained with the phenomenon known as Harlequin Ichthyosis. It is a skin disease, is the most severe form of congenital ichthyosis, characterized by a thickening of the keratin layer in fetal human skin. In sufferers of the disease, the skin contains massive, diamond-shaped scales, and tends to have a reddish color. In addition, the eyes, ears, mouth, and other appendages may be abnormally contracted. The scaly keratin greatly limits the child's movement. Because the skin is cracked where normal skin would fold, it is easily pregnable by bacteria and other contaminants, resulting in serious risk of fatal infection.

Sufferers are known as harlequin fetuses, harlequin babies, or harlequins.