10 Proven Facts About Twins They Might Not Even Know

There are many legends and myths about twins that make people curious. Everyone wants to know what it’s like to live in the world when there is someone that looks exactly like you.

We at CHEERY have learned some new facts about twins, and we were amazed.

There are “mirror image” twins

Many people believe that there are only identical twins and fraternal twins. Of course, most of them are identical or fraternal, but in 25% of cases, there are “mirror image” twins. They develop when a fertilized egg splits later than usual (on days 9-12, not 4-8).

Such children have characteristics that mirror each other: their birthmarks and other physical traits will be exact opposites. For instance, one of them may be left-handed, and the other one — right-handed; or one of them has a wisdom tooth growing on the left, and the other one on the right. Doctors still don’t know why this asymmetry occurs.

They have physical differences

Even if parents can’t find any differences between their children, it doesn’t mean they don’t have any. Despite haviping identical DNAs, they have different fingerprints. Experts believe that they form during pregnancy, and are affected by many factors: food, arterial pressure, position in the womb, and speed of finger growth at the end of the first trimester.

They might read each other’s minds

Early studies of twins showed that they might share a certain connection regular siblings don’t have. Sometimes, they do or say the same things at the same time. They can also think the same way and have the same feelings.

But years later, experts couldn’t prove the existence of a stronger connection between twins (they couldn’t refute it, either). So, at this point, there are not enough studies to make a conclusion about whether they can or cannot read each other’s minds.

Twins may be born 1 day, months, or even years apart

Can twins have different birthdays? “No” seems to be the right answer because they are born minutes apart by definition. But there are cases when twins were born a month or even 5 years apart. For example, if a pregnancy might end with early labor, doctors may allow one child to be born, and give the other one more time to develop in the womb. This is how twins are born months apart.

But there’s a case when the second twin was born 5 years after the first one. It happened to a couple that had been trying to have children for a long time and then had to go to a clinic to try IVF. In the process, several eggs were fertilized, and a boy was born. The other embryos were frozen. 5 years later, they used them to become parents again. They had a girl.

Basically, they are twins that came not from the same embryo but from the same group of embryos collected during the same cycle, according to the doctors at Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine.

Twins might have different fathers

It seems logical for twins to have the same father. But in very rare cases, twins might form from 2 eggs, fertilized by 2 different men. The twins in this case are genetically equivalent to stepbrothers and stepsisters.

There is a case when a Chinese woman had 2 children at the same time from different fathers. One of them was her husband, and the other one was someone she had an affair with. There are even cases when twins are born with different color of skin.

Twins learn to communicate in their mother’s womb

3D ultrasound scans of twins showed that by 18 months, fetuses already reach for each other and stroking each other. Researchers of an Italian university reviewed the videos of 5 pairs of twins in the womb. They found out that 30% of the time, the twins are in a physical contact. It’s even more phenomenal that they seemed very tender when they were touching their siblings.

Twins, separated at birth, might have very similar lives

Of course, we can’t separate twins right after birth, for the sake of science, to find out how their lives will develop. But there are times when separated twins reunited as adults and realized they had very similar lives.

So, twins James and James found each other when they were 39 years old. When they met, the found out that they have had very similar lives. Both of them have favorite dogs named Toy, and when they were at school, they both liked math and woodworking. Both of them were married twice. If you are still not impressed, keep reading.

The first time they met, their girls’ names were Linda. When they divorced and remarried, their girls’ names were Betty. Both of them had sons, named Alan. Both drove Chevrolet, and had similar occupations: one of them was a security guard, and the other one was deputy sheriff. They even went on vacation to the same Florida beach.

Twins can develop in very different way

After reading the facts above, you might think that habits and lifestyles of twins are very similar, but it’s not always true. For example, 1 child may be a very picky eater, and the other one might be okay with any food. Even though they may hear the same fairy tales in childhood, one of them might grow up being a book fan, and the other will enjoy other things more.

Twins can speak their own language

It’s been estimated that almost 50% of identical twins can use a special language only they can understand. This phenomenon is called cryptophasia, and it includes not only the speech, but also mimics and gestures (often mirrored).

Africa has the highest number of twins

According to studies, in Central Africa, twins are born more frequently than in any other region. The average number of twins in 76 countries is 13,1 in 1,000. But in Africa, it’s 18 in 1,000. But the highest rate of twins are born in Benin with an average of 27,9 cases in 1,000!

Are there any twins that you know personally? Have you noticed any interesting things about their behavior or appearance?