These fluffy little wolfhound puppies from South Africa are certainly cute enough to be internet stars, but what makes them so popular right now is actually extraordinary.
Because the puppies were delivered by c-section in a hospital, the doctor recognized immediately that the puppies shared a single placenta, and decided it was worth investigating: Were these two puppies twins? And if so, were they identical?
A dog has given birth to the first identical twin puppies https://t.co/KQswvWOc0k pic.twitter.com/a7L3ACV2nd
— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) August 31, 2016
A DNA test confirmed that the dogs are in fact identical twins. Identical twin dogs are currently believed to be quite rare, though we don’t have a good way of confirming the fact. Since most dogs give birth naturally at home, with just their human family attending, we don’t know exactly how rare identical twins are in dogs. (Oh, and that part where they eat the placenta makes it tough to count.)
First ever identical twin puppies discovered by scientists https://t.co/HjlNUmTfj9 #telegraph #news
— WorldNews_net (@worldnews_net) September 1, 2016
With all the press and excitement surrounding the twin wolfhounds, it’s speculated that more people will be on the lookout for sets of twins, and more pairs will be identified for DNA confirmation of the phenomenon going forward.
Stories are already coming out of the woodwork of puppy twins. Turns out, plenty of breeders have their own twin experiences.
Puppy palooza! First identical twin puppies in history born in South Africa #TODAYPuppy https://t.co/q84wyCKAQm
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 1, 2016
Featured image: BBC.com
