One thing you are sure to have heard about twins is that they can be either ғʀᴀᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ or ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ. While ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ twins have the same ⒹⓃⒶ, ғʀᴀᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ones do not. This does not necessarily mean that ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ twins will look alike though in most cases they do. If you are expecting twins or are already a parent to twins, then your joy is undoubtedly double than that of others! However, it is also sure to be much more demanding and would require a more considerable amount of effort on your part to raise two children of the same age at the same time. Here are some 10 interesting facts about twins you might not have known!
- Twins Do Not Have to Share the Same Birthday: Though not a common occurrence, ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs during the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ or concern for the health of the babies can lead to the ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ birth of one of the twins. For instance, if your ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋs much before you are ᴅᴜᴇ, one child might be extracted while the other stays inside for a few more days or weeks. Though the aveʀᴀɢᴇ time between delivering twins is 17 minutes, the most prolonged duration on record is 87 days.
- The Twin Gᴇɴᴇ Is Not a Mʏᴛʜ : You might have heard of some families with many sets of twins over the ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴs. The reason for this is believed to be something known as ʜʏᴘᴇʀ-ᴏᴠᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. In ʜʏᴘᴇʀ-ᴏᴠᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, a woman ʀᴇʟᴇᴀsᴇs more ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴏɴᴇ ᴇɢɢ each month. It is believed that the Gᴇɴᴇ which ᴄᴀᴜsᴇs this kind of ʜʏᴘᴇʀ-ᴏᴠᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ is ɪɴʜᴇʀɪᴛᴇᴅ and thus, the offspring of twins are more likely to have twins as well. Twins of this type are fraternal since they are born from two separate ᴇɢɢs. Identical twins are born from a single egg splitting in half and this is not a ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄ ᴏᴄᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴄᴇ.
- You can tell identical twins apart by their ʙᴇʟʟʏ ʙᴜᴛᴛᴏɴs: Our ʙᴇʟʟʏ ʙᴜᴛᴛᴏɴs are sᴄᴀʀs that are created when the ᴜᴍʙɪʟɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴏʀᴅ ᴅᴇᴛᴀᴄʜᴇs after birth, so they aren’t ᴄᴀᴜsᴇᴅ byɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄs. You can also tell identical twins apart by their Fɪɴɢᴇʀᴘʀɪɴᴛs, just like everyone else.
- Some twins invent their own ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇs: Around 40 percent of twins will invent their ownᴀᴜᴛᴏɴᴏᴍᴏᴜs ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇs, which can sound almost like normal ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇs. It can ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ with two or more babies who are not twins, but it’s far more likely with twins, because of their special bond and closeness.
- Twins can have DɪFFᴇʀᴇɴᴛ fathers: Yes, you read that right! One of the more weird facts about twins, this can ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ when a woman ʀᴇʟᴇᴀsᴇs two ᴇɢɢs in a month as opposed to one. When the two ᴇɢɢs are Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪsᴇᴅ by sᴘᴇʀᴍs from DɪFFᴇʀᴇɴᴛ men, then the woman can give birth to twins with DɪFFᴇʀᴇɴᴛ But this is a ʀᴀʀᴇ ᴘʜᴇɴᴏᴍᴇɴᴏɴ.
- Identical twins don’t have identical Fɪɴɢᴇʀᴘʀɪɴᴛs: Fɪɴɢᴇʀᴘʀɪɴᴛs aren’t completely based on ⒹⓃⒶ. When twins are conceived, because their ⒹⓃⒶ is the same, they begin with the same Fɪɴɢᴇʀᴘʀɪɴᴛs. But as babies move around in the ᴡᴏᴍʙ and touch the ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ sᴀᴄ, they form ᴜɴɪǫᴜᴇ ʀɪᴅɢᴇs and lines that turn into Fɪɴɢᴇʀᴘʀɪɴᴛs. Because both twins will be touching DɪFFᴇʀᴇɴᴛ things at DɪFFᴇʀᴇɴᴛ times, they’re going to have slightly DɪFFᴇʀᴇɴᴛ Fɪɴɢᴇʀᴘʀɪɴᴛs too!
- When identical twins marry identical twins and have kid: The wonders of ⒹⓃⒶ and ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄs ᴍᴇᴀɴ that if a pair of identical male twins marry a pair of identical female twins, their kids will ʟᴇɢᴀʟʟʏ be cousins but ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ be full siblings. Children are considered to beɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄ siblings if the ᴄʜʀᴏᴍᴏsᴏᴍᴇs they receive are derived from the same ᴘᴏᴏʟ. Because theɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄ ᴘᴏᴏʟ of identical twins is identical, the two sets of parents produce children from identical ᴘᴏᴏʟs.
- Twins Can Have DɪFFᴇʀᴇɴᴛ Sᴋɪɴ Cᴏʟᴏᴜʀs: Iɴᴛᴇʀ-ʀᴀᴄɪᴀʟ couples have been seen to have twins with ᴅɪFFᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ᴄᴏʟᴏᴜʀᴇᴅ sᴋɪɴ. But this ᴘʜᴇɴᴏᴍᴇɴᴏɴ is not seen only in ɪɴᴛᴇʀ-ʀᴀᴄɪᴀʟ ᴄᴏᴜᴘʟᴇs. Couples of the same ᴄᴏʟᴏᴜʀ who have mixed ethnicity parents have also been found to have twin children with ᴅɪFFᴇʀɪɴɢ Sᴋɪɴ ᴛᴏɴᴇs. Known as mixed twins, these occurrences are not very common.
- Twins begin bonding in the ᴡᴏᴍʙ: We’ve all seen adorable pictures of cute baby twins holding hands and snuggling. They actually start interacting with each other in the ᴡᴏᴍʙ as early as 14 weeks gestation.
- Being Left-handed Is a Twin Thing: Tʜᴇ ɪɴᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴏF ᴛᴡɪɴs ʙᴇɪɴɢ ʟᴇFᴛ-ʜᴀɴᴅᴇᴅ ɪs ʜɪɢʜᴇʀ ᴀᴛ 22% ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ɪs ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ɪɴ Fɪᴠᴇ ᴘᴀɪʀs ᴏF ᴛᴡɪɴs ᴏʀ ᴅᴏᴜʙʟᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏF ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇsᴛ ᴏF ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴘᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. Iɴ sɪɴɢʟᴇᴛᴏɴs, ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇs ᴏF ʙᴇɪɴɢ ʟᴇFᴛ-ʜᴀɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴀʀᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ 10%.
