2 sets of siamese twins. What are the chances?

[jarich]

I think its probably just you Gregg. Of course, it could be John's fault too. Hard to say.

[smy_749]

Originally Posted by Gregg M

Not sure how these two things would cause twins.

Not that they caused the twins, but that the twins were deformed. Can that not be caused by fluctuations?

[AjaMichelle]

Originally Posted by smy_749

Not that they caused the twins, but that the twins were deformed. Can that not be caused by fluctuations?

Inbreeding depression doesn't occur immediately when closely related individuals are paired. It takes generations, and depends on degrees of relatedness, as well as on the health of the individuals mated.

Temperature fluctuations are unlikely to cause this type of deformity. Extreme heat outside of what's considered optimal would be more likely to just kill the embryos instead of change the way DNA is translated and cells divide.

It's not uncommon for fetuses to be deformed in some way (with respect to vertebrates), what's amazing is that the fetuses survived for so long.

Hey Gregg, had the individuals who produced these offspring been mated before?