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Multiple birth
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{{Short description|End of a multiple pregnancy where two or more offspring are born}} [[File:TripletBoys.JPG|thumb|300px|Triplet brothers at graduation]] A '''multiple birth''' is the culmination of a multiple [[pregnancy]], wherein the mother gives birth to two or more babies. A term most applicable to [[vertebrate]] species, multiple births occur in most kinds of [[mammal]]s, with varying frequencies. Such births are often named according to the number of offspring, as in ''[[twin]]s'' and ''triplets''. In non-humans, the whole group may also be referred to as a ''[[Litter (animal)|litter]]'', and multiple births may be more common than single births. Multiple births in humans are the exception and can be exceptionally rare in the largest mammals. A multiple pregnancy may be the result of the [[fertilization]] of a single egg that then splits to create identical [[fetus]]es, or it may be the result of the fertilization of multiple eggs that create fraternal ("non-identical") fetuses, or it may be a combination of these factors. A multiple pregnancy from a single [[zygote]] is called ''[[monozygotic]]'', from two zygotes is called ''[[Twin#Dizygotic (fraternal) twins|dizygotic]]'', or from three or more zygotes is called ''polyzygotic''. Similarly, the [[sibling]]s themselves from a multiple birth may be referred to as monozygotic if they are identical or as dizygotic (in cases of twins) or polyzygotic (for three or more siblings) if they are fraternal, i.e., non-identical. Each fertilized [[ovum]] ([[zygote]]) may produce a single [[embryo]], or it may split into two or more embryos, each carrying the same genetic material. Fetuses resulting from different zygotes are called ''fraternal'' and share only 50% of their [[genetics|genetic]] material, as ordinary full siblings from separate births do. Fetuses resulting from the same zygote share 100% of their genetic material and hence are called ''identical''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coefficient of relationship - ISOGG Wiki |url=https://isogg.org/wiki/Coefficient_of_relationship |access-date=2021-04-03 |website=isogg.org}}</ref> Identical twins are always the same sex.
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