This article is republished from conversation.
Ask all the parents. Welcoming a new baby into your family is a lot of fun, but it also involves a lot of work. And when a new baby is born, it can be a real struggle for parents.
In many animal species, it is normal to have multiple babies at once.one liter Up to 11 piglets that’s all!
we faculty Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. We have attended many puppy and kitten births over the years, and animal mothers almost always give birth to multiple puppies.
But are all animal siblings with the same birthday twins?
Twins are two beans in a pod.
Twins are defined as the offspring of two From the same pregnancy.
They can be identical, meaning a single sperm fertilizes a single egg, which divides into two separate cells and then grows into two identical babies. To do. These two twins are basically indistinguishable because they share the same DNA.
Twins can also be fraternal. This is the result when two separate eggs are fertilized independently at the same time. Each twin has a unique set of genes from their mother and father. One could be male and the other female. Fraternal twins are essentially similar to other siblings.
Fraternal twins start with two eggs that are fertilized separately, while identical twins start with one fertilized egg splitting to form two embryos. Veronika Zakharova/Science Photo Library (via Getty Images)
about 3% of human pregnancies in the United States produce twins. Most of them are in relationships between siblings. 1 in 3 sets of twins Same.
Multiple babies born to one animal mother
Each type of animal has a different standard number of offspring at each birth. People tend to be most familiar with livestock species that are kept as pets or livestock.
In one study that investigated Litter size over 10,000 among purebred dogs We found that the average number of puppies varies depending on the size of the breed. Small dogs such as Chihuahuas and toy poodles usually weigh less than 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) and produce an average of 3.5 puppies per litter. Extra large dogs, such as mastiffs and great danes, which typically weigh over 100 pounds (45 kg), give birth to an average of seven or more puppies per litter.
For example, if there are only two puppies in a litter, people tend to refer to the two puppies as twins. Twins are Most common pregnancy outcomes in goatsHowever, a mother goat may give birth to a single offspring or to larger offspring. Sheep often give birth to twins, but Lambs born alone are more common.
Horses are 11 to 12 months pregnant, cows 9 to 10 months pregnant, and they tend to only give birth to one foal or calf at a time, although twins can be born. Veterinarians and ranchers have long believed that promoting twin conception in dairy and beef cattle is economically beneficial. Basically, the farmer ends up getting his two calves for the price of his one pregnancy.
However, the cow twins can have the following consequences: Birth complications in cows and smaller calves Survival rate decreases.Same risks involved horse twin pregnancytends to cause both pregnancy complications that can harm the mare and the birth of a weak foal.
The answer to types of twins lies in their DNA
Therefore, many animals can give birth to twins. A more complicated question is whether her two animal babies born together are identical or fraternal twins.
female dog and cat Ovulate multiple eggs at once. Fertilization of individual eggs by different sperm from men produces multiple embryos. This process produces puppies and kittens that are not identical but fraternal, even though they look almost identical.
Biologists believe that identical twins are extremely rare in most animals. The difficulty is that many animal siblings look very similar, so researchers have to do DNA tests to see if two animals actually share all their genes. That’s true.only 1 documented report DNA testing confirmed that they are identical twins. But no one knows exactly how often a fertilized animal egg splits and develops into identical twin baby animal babies.
And reproduction differs in different animals. For example, nine giant armadillos typically give birth to identical quadruplets. The mother armadillo releases an egg, which, when fertilized, divides into four separate identical cells and produces identical offspring. Its close relative, the seven-toed armadillo, can give birth anywhere. 7-9 identical puppies at once.
Scientists still know a lot about twins in other species. No one knows how often identical twins are born because animal DNA testing is not commonly done. In some species, identical twins can be born without anyone knowing about it, and it may even be possible.
michael jaffe I am an associate professor of small animal surgery. mississippi state university. Tracy Jaff He is currently a clinical assistant professor of veterinary medicine. mississippi state university
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