Newborn calf in Texas looks like KISS rocker Gene Simmons

The calf has been named Genie in honour of Simmons.

KISS frontman Gene Simmons is udderly thrilled by a newborn calf born with strikingly similar black-and-white markings to the face paint he wears on stage.

This July 28, 2017, photo at right, provided by Hill Country Visitor in Kerrville, Texas, shows a newborn calf named Genie, with facial marking that resemble Gene Simmons, the bass player for the rock group KISS, shortly after its birth in Kerrville. (AP)

Simmons tweeted his admiration for the calf on Sunday, saying,

The calf was born Friday at a ranch near Kerrville, Texas, which is about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of San Antonio.

This July 28, 2017, photo provided by Hill Country Visitor in Kerrville, Texas, shows a newborn calf named Genie with facial marking that resemble Gene Simmons, bass player for the rock group KISS, shortly after its birth in Kerrville. (AP)

Heather Taccetta (tuh-SET’-uh), who lives at the ranch with her family, said Tuesday that the calf belongs to her grandmother. It is named Genie, in honour of Simmons.

Taccetta says the calf and its mother are doing fine and that Genie is a family favourite and won’t be sold for slaughter.