Twin girls with different skin tones celebrate first birthday

Fraternal twins are known for having distinct physical features, and in some cases those differences are more noticeable than others. But a pair of Quincy, Illinois, twins are going viral for their more-distinct-than-usual appearances - one appears black and the other, white.

Kalani Dean and Jarani Dean, who are biracial twins, celebrated their first birthday on Sunday. Their mother, Whitney Meyer, posted a photo of the girls on social media earlier this year. Whitney is white, while her partner, Tomas Dean, is black.

"At first when they were born, I wanted to believe it, but it's so rare I didn't think it'd happen to my twins!" Whitney told KHQA. "But sure enough they're biracial twins!"

Although a small number of genes are responsible for an individual's skin color, there is a one in 500 chance that twins will have different skin colors, the BBC reported. All fraternal twins, including Kalani and Jarani, are formed with separate eggs fertilized by two different sperm cells.

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