Are there differences between twins and buddies? Well, apparently yes, but if they are not taken into account, one can fall into the error of thinking that they are the same. Below we describe everything.
What does twins mean?
Twins occur as a result of a multiple pregnancy. In these cases, a sperm fertilizes a single egg and then divides into two and, therefore, two fetuses develop at the same time in the mother’s uterus.
Twins usually share the same placenta, both have the same genetic information, so they are identical in their genotype (functional characteristics) and phenotype (physical features).
In some cases -very rare- the twins can have different amniotic sacs. Keep in mind that cell division occurs in monozygotic pregnancies, so each baby will have the same sex.
What does cuate mean?
Also known as twins. That is, they are children born from the same pregnancy, but product of the fertilization of two different ovules.
That said, the cuates can be two or more babies that develop at the same time in the mother’s womb, these do not share the same placenta since they are from different ovules. Therefore, they do not have the same phenotype (physical traits) or the same genotype (functional characteristics).
It could also be said that the friends are different brothers at the same time of gestation. Twin pregnancy or twin pregnancy is also known as bizygote pregnancy (two zygotes), since for this type of pregnancy to occur, there must be two fertilized ovules and therefore they can be of different sex.
Differences between Twins and Cuates
- Twins result from a general multiple pregnancy. The cuates are the result of a multiple non-twin pregnancy.
- Twin pregnancy is known as mozygous, that is, fertilization occurs in the same egg by a single sperm that then divides. In a pregnancy of friends the bizygote occurs. That is, fertilization occurs in two or more ovules by two or more sperm.
- Twins share the same genetic blueprint and are individuals of the same sex. The cuate do not share the same genetic map, so they can be totally different in physical traits and of different sex.
