Interesting facts- Twins.

I am a twin and so I'd like to educate people about twins since people seem to get some really weird ideas when they find out people are twins.

1. If a girl and a boy are twins, they are NOT identical: Yeah I've been asked that before. 
2. Twins cannot read each other's minds: It may seem like that at times, but we can't. 
3. Being a twin does not give us powers. Yeah...sorry. 
4. I do not do everything with my twin. We like to have lives that don't involve each other.  Actually my brother and I are about as opposite as you can get besides being twins. 

Now that we're got that out of our way, onto the more serious factual things.

• Almost 20% of twins are left handed. In the general populace, only 10% are left handed. 
• There are actually seven types of twins besides identical and fraternal: identical, fraternal, half-identical, mirror image twins, mixed chromosome twins, superfecundation, and superfetation. The other ones are quite rare.
• Twins can have different birthdates. A common example is for one twin to be born on 11:59 pm and the next twin to be born anytime after 12:00 am. But there are other examples, less common, but possible. One is when one twin is taken out and the other is left in to develop more. 
• Twins don't have to have the same dad. This is called heteropaternal superfecundation. It happens when a lady becomes pregnant from two different men and gives birth to two kids on the same day. 
• Identical twins have different fingerprints. At least that's one thing they dont share. 
• About 25% of twins are actually "mirrior" twins. Meaning when identical twins have the same features but on oppostie sides. For example, if one twin has a mole on her left arm her/his twin will have a mole on her/his right arm. 
• The chances of having twins is increased by age (usually thrity and on), genetics, and the number of kids before. Nigeria has the highest rate of twins while China has the lowest (which is a given knowing their one-child policy). 
• Twins actually think very similar. Research (doesn't research and studies seem to show everything?) shows that identical twins actually have very similar brainwaves. 
• Fraternal twins can have very different skin tones. For example if parents of different races have twins, one may be black and the other white. I actually saw a case like this about a year ago. Only both parents were white or something along those lines. I can't remember correctly, but somewhere down their ansestor lines, they must have had an ansestor of a different race. 
• Twins separated at birth and reunited are often seen to be found with similar personalities and interests. 
• I know a pair of conjoined twins. Well actually I don't know them in person, but they graduated from my high school the year before I went there. But my cousins knew them.
• There are three pairs of twins in my grade alone and four together in my school: And I go to a very small school. My brother and I are fraternal, the twins in the senior class are fraternal, and the other two pairs in my grade are both identical and male. One pair are short and awesome and the other are tall and cool. 

Resources and for more fun facts about twins:
20 Amazing Facts about Twins.
About.com- Fun Facts and more about Twins.

So, do you know any twins? Are you a twin?

Sincerely,

Peony