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What is the difference between identical and fraternal twins?

Best Answers

Because fraternal, or dizygotic, twins are 2 separate fertilized eggs, they usually develop 2 separate amniotic sacs, placentas, and supporting structures. Identical, or monozygotic, twins may or may not share the same amniotic sac, depending on how early the single fertilized egg divides into 2. read more

Other times, a family may see the minor differences in identical twins and declare the twins fraternal based on these differences in appearance. There are a few commercial laboratories that, for a fee, will send families DNA collection kits to determine if the twins are identical or fraternal. read more

Neither fraternal nor identical twins have the same fingerprints. This is because environmental factors in the womb affect the development of fingerprints, slightly altering them for each individual. Fingerprints are an example of phenotype, which can be different even if two individuals share the same genotype. read more

Fraternal twins are more common than identical twins. Triplets and other higher-order multiples can result from three or more eggs being fertilized, one egg splitting twice (or more), or a combination of both. A set of higher-order multiples may contain all fraternal siblings or a combination of identical and fraternal siblings. read more

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