Two in a Million: Twins Born - One Black, One White

[Woodmonkey]

Twins with different skin colors — one black and the other white — have been born in Berlin, Germany.

Doctors say it is an extremely rare occurrence, but it is possible if genes combine in a certain way.

The twin boys, named Ryan and Leo, are the offspring of a mixed-race couple.

The mother, Florence, hails from Ghana in western Africa, and dad, Stephan, is from Potsdam in Germany.

"Ryan came first, and everything was as usual," said the hospital's doctor, Birgit Weber. "But when Leo was born, I couldn't believe my eyes."

"Both kids have definitely the same father," the doctor added.

The Source

[Snowden]

I guess they would be called "fraternal" twins rather than "identical" twins!

Here they are in person, with the happy parents.


Pictured: Proud parents show off their million-to-one black and white twins


By Tammy Lovell
Last updated at 6:47 PM on 17th July 2008



Welcoming new twins into the world is always a momentous event.

But when brothers Ryan and Leo arrived they had an extra surprise for their parents - they were born with different coloured skin.

For one twin to be black and one to be white is so rare that it is thought by medical experts to be a one in a million occurrence.

Proud parents: Florence Addo-Gerth and Stephan Gerth with their newborn twins Ryan (right) and Leo (left)

Proud parents Florence Addo-Gerth and Stephan Gerth are over-joyed by the new additions to their family, which includes 18-year-old brother Randy.

Mother Florence, 35, hails from Ghana, west Africa while father Stephan is German.

Stephan, 40, said that although the couple were surprised by the children's different colourings the most important thing was that the babies were healthy.

Big yawn: Ryan (left) and Leo enjoy a nap, oblivious to the sensation their births have caused

The infants caused a sensation at the Sana Hospital in Lichtenberg, Germany, where they were born on Friday last week, with guests crowding around to greet the new arrivals.

And it is not only their skin colours that are different - the twins are already revealing opposing personalities.

Light-skinned Ryan is described as a 'spirited' baby, while laidback brother Leo is a lot calmer.

Senior doctor Birgit Weber, who helped deliver the tots by ceasarean section, said that in 20 years of practice this was the first time she had seen differently coloured twins.



Pictured: Proud parents show off their million-to-one black and white twins | Mail Online

[conlor]

Cute babies. They'll have to explain this one a million times throughout their lives.

[Snowden]

Well, in Germany it won't matter. They will not have problems.

[jjvman]

It is interesting about the fraternal versus identical concept. Identical twins usually result from one fertilized egg splitting into two. Fraternal twins would result from two eggs being fertilized by one sperm each, one with a dominant X, the other with a dominant Y. So this would have to be the latter case, with the exception that both have the same male chromosome, but the other genes differ in the dominant /recessive racial gene. This would be due to the fact that once one sperm attaches to an unfertilized egg, the egg is locked out and not receptive to another sperm. Rare indeed.

[daniels116]

good to know