They may look indistinguishable from their sibling, regardless of whether or not they're wearing matching outfits.
Or they may resemble each other well enough but their mannerisms are different enough for you to tell the difference.
While it's fun as adults to become acquainted with your friend or partner's twin and noting similarities and distinctions, imagine what goes through the mind of an infant when they see their mommy or daddy's identical twin.
Redditor /KjellSkar asked:
"Identical twins with children, what was your baby's reaction when they saw your twin?"
Sixth Sense Baby
"My sis was with me almost every other day at the beginning, so my daughter always knew the difference."
"What was interesting was she knew my sisters voice before she was born. I would lay on my back and sis would be to one side. She would talk to the baby and my whole gut would move to be closer to her. She didn't do this for anyone else, not even my husband."
No Problem At All
"My dad has an identical twin - I just asked him if I/my sister/my cousins reacted in any way to seeing his twin or him and he said no!"
"From my memory, I never got them confused - could always tell which was which. Other people think they're completely identical even now but family have always been able to tell the difference, they just look and even sound like completely different people!"
Matching Outfits
"My dad has and identical twin and my siblings and cousins were always able to tell them apart except for when they were about to go hunting and had matching camo jackets and hats on. I still get confused when I see them dressed like that."
– Elder08
Creeped Out
"One of my parents was an identical twin. As a child I could still tell them apart but I was thoroughly creeped out by the twin. Lovely person, but it was just so uncanny."
"When someone looks identical but has different mannerisms, confidence and posture its kind of a mindf'k for a kid. Especially when it's your dad."
– zaraths
What Are You Doing Reaction GIFGiphyNonplussed
"I'm a twin with a daughter, she is possibly too young to care much. She just met my twin, and though she seemed content near him, there was no noteworthy reaction."
Are We Talking About Human Kids Still?
"According to my friend who has a twin sister, they noticed they looked alike when they were around three years old. The first twins reaction was to run around in a circle and then collapse from exhaustion. The second just stared at her twin and then ran around in a circle."
confused confusion GIFGiphyThe Hairy Situation
"My hub and his oldest brother look very much alike especially when bearded. Each of our kids have responded by running outside to find daddy after uncle has gone to his car. One time my son wanted to go with him."
Auntie Mom
"My mom is an identical twin and other than calling my aunt 'mom' a few times when she had her back to me it's never been an issue with me or my siblings/cousins. And that's not even an issue any more as they color their hair differently now."
– conan145
Whiplash Baby
"My fiance is the twin."
"Her twin brother invited us to a little gathering for their baby's birthday, a 1-year-old girl named Analise. When Analise saw my fiancé, she turned to see her dad, then my fiancé, then her dad, then my fiance, and so on, until he saw his mother and started crying."
The Fraternal Twins
"My husband is a fraternal twin but they look close enough that if you don't know them well or see them separately they get mistaken for the other, when my kids are babies they won't go to the twin at all and if the twins are together my littles won't have anything to do with daddy either for a few hours at least after the twin has left."
– t9pool
Those videos of bewildered babies are adorable! But what can be cuter than a baby? How about... a pet? You would assume most animals could distinguish between people by smell, but sometimes it may take a pet a minute to understand that they are looking at two identical people.
Redditor u/avianthon asked people to share their pet's reaction to their identical twin, and it proved that animals aren't always as sharp as we may think.
20. They become a lap dog
"My sister lives an hour or so away and doesn't see my dog that much but she gets far more excited to see her than anyone else. She's a 70 pound pit and we are 5'1' and gets right in the center of her lap. It's very cute and funny."
19. Cat and dog people
"I have a dog, my twin has a cat. They both treat us like a different human. My dog adores my twin sister and her cat adores me."
18. They listen very well
"Not a twin, but my sis and I sound and look alike. My lab/blue heeler mix will greet her like she's me. Madi (the dog) loves my sister (who tolerates dogs) almost on par with me. My sis lives 3 hours away, so we only see her a few times a year, but man, Madi listens to her like a champ. Madi knows its not me, but she still respects her as a leader of the pack."
18. She never forgot that vet visit
Giphy"My cat (died in December) hated my sister. She first met her when she was a kitten and was actually the person who took her to get spayed because I had to work. Up until that point she seemed to tolerate my sister so she blames that on the personality turn. Either way even when my sister lived with me for a few months when she moved back to this state my cat never warmed to her."
17. This lizard was afraid
"My red eyed crocodile skink kept looking at the two of us then ran in it's cage"
16. They can smell who is who
"Idk what happened to others, but I have 2 friends who are identical twins, they own a golden retriever. One of them, Quincy, owns the dog. They lived separately and when they reunited, me and the dog were there. And the dog was ok, he could smell who's Quincy and who's not. But at the end turns out, the dog likes me the best."
15. This cat loves everyone
"I'm an identical twin and adopted a cat 3 years ago. She's had no different reaction to my brother than me. She's super chill and loves all people."
14. These pets are very welcoming
"My cat doesn't see my brother too much, but if he sees us on the couch together watching football or something, he'll alternate between the two of us like we're the same person. He doesn't really freak out or anything. I just think it's hilarious that my cat doesn't even really know my brother and he still treats him like family, but won't give my roommates the time of day. He either knows we're twins, or thinks we're the same person."
13. This dog was confused by matching outfits
"Our sons are not twins at all, but people mistake them for one another all the time. Oldest son left for 2 years during which time we got a new dog. New dog did not like oldest son when he returned, but adored youngest son from the get go. One day both sons walked in the door wearing the same outfit (not planned) and the dog stood there not knowing who to bark at and who to go to for loves."
12. This dog had to pause
"His dog Pablo the pitbull lost his freaking mind when I walked in, then my brother walked he just.. froze"
11. Like having another dad
"Our dog loves my husband's twin! He went crazy for him immediately, and jumps on him like he does my husband."
10. The cat didn't know who to trust
Giphy"My mom is an identical twin. My childhood cat Linus was a total scaredy cat, abused at an early age and terrified of new people, but an absolute sweetheart with us. When my aunt came to visit for the first time, Linus walked right up to her and snuggled against her leg. She started scratching him and all was going great until he saw my mom. Cue very quick back-and-forth head turns, followed by running up the stairs and hiding for hours! Poor baby!"
9. Pups and kids can't tell the difference
"Rusty was a good boy and was ecstatic there were two of us. More to play with, I guess. He learned to tell us apart though, and I kind of felt like an indulgent uncle with him. It's even more fun as my brother and I have had children in our own families and they can't tell us apart until they are almost two."
8. The birds wouldn't fall for it
Giphy"My dad and his brother were identical and same voice, too. My dad rescued a nest of bird babies whose mama never came back and he would feed them. He would go outside and say 'where are my babies?' And their little heads would pop up, chirping and chattering and he would feed them.
One day his brother came over and my dad told him to go out and say 'where are my babies?' And the birds stayed silent. Not a peep.
He tried again to no avail. My dad said it and instantly the babies popped up and chirping.
They couldn't see him, and his voice was identical yet they just knew. It was uncanny!"
7. An evil twin
"Identical twin here. It's weird because my dog loves me but HATES my sister. Like, when she comes around he growls at her and barely lets her touch him. I have no idea why, he isn't like this to the rest of my family or friends. Maybe he thinks she is an imposter? Lmao we have no idea!"
6. Poor pup...
"My dad and my uncle were identical twins - their voices sound so similar even my mom would get confused before the invention of caller ID. My dad passed away last year, and when my uncle came over the family beagle didn't notice, but when my uncle spoke he perked up. But then he would go and sniff him and get sad again."
5. They can smell the difference
"I'm an identical twin, my dogs had no issues distinguishing between me and my sister. They could tell by smell."
4. Cats don't mess around
"My twin and I have lived separately and together several times. My dog treated my sister and me like two separate members of the same family, but both our cats (one is mine, one is hers) have made it clear from the beginning the other twin is a second class citizen. We have exactly the same voice so when we visit each other there's about 1 minute of 'why are there two of you' and then it's business as usual."
3. The voice was confusing
"my grandfather had a younger brother whose voice sounded indistinguishable from his own, to all us humans anyway. they were not twin like in appearance (nor scent, one assumes).
one day our big studly master of his domain German Shepard catches Uncle Reggie on the front porch and starts going at him and Uncle Reggie says, 'oh Scout, now stop that.'
And Scout did the full cartoon stop, head sideways, and that whimper that sounds like a question mark.
So his appearance wasn't mistaken by the dog at all - but he did confuse the hell out of him with the identical voice."
2. I feel so bad for this loyal dog
"Long time ago my grandfather had a dog that went with him to work the fields on his farm. He passed away and dog stayed with my father and his mother. G-father's brother came up the driveway one day to visit, walking and looking like my g-pa. The dog went crazy in the house. She was barking and going from window to window. They finally let her out as he was walking up the steps to the porch. She ran up to him all excited until she saw it wasn't her master. It was like someone had kicked her. The tail went under and she slowly walked over to her bed and laid down in her sadness."
1. It's thrilling to have two owners
"The first oddly-specific ask reddit I am qualified to answer. My dog lost his mind when my twin came to visit. He excitedly dashed back and forth between the two of us thrilled to see us both.
Then again, he's a golden retriever so he does that with everyone."
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk him about it.
A wacky buddy comedy?
Now, we're talking!
During the "Aquaman Live" panel discussion at Celebrity Fan Fest in San Antonio, Texas this past weekend, a fan suggested a movie pitch for Momoa, who starred as Khal Drago in Game of Thrones.
The fan asked if the Aquaman star would reunite with his GoT co-star Peter Dinklage for a remake of the 1988 buddy flick, Twins. The original starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as, well, twins.
Twins/Universal Pictures
The original 1988 film, Twins, is available here.
Someone already reimagined the original 1988 movie poster.
Perfect #Twins !! @PrideOfGypsiesJ #PeterDinklage https://t.co/uTV2Iu9V8F— Salman Artworks (@Salman Artworks)1560868149.0
Momoa, 39, was enthusiastic for the prospect and revealed he is a fan of the comedy about unlikely twins separated at birth.
"F****n' tell me where to sign! Absolutely. That'd be amazing. I love that movie."
You can watch his reaction at the 17:52 mark from the video of the interview, below.
WATCH: Celebrity Fan Fest 'Aquaman Live' panel with Jason Momoa www.youtube.com
Did you hear that, Hollywood?
Fans are already on-board.
@SalmanArtworks @PrideOfGypsiesJ Take my money I’m in!— Richard Welze (@Richard Welze)1561001966.0
@SalmanArtworks @PrideOfGypsiesJ Absolutely Amazing LOL— CavegirlSGA (@CavegirlSGA)1560885598.0
🗣️Do it. Do it, Now! https://t.co/sImi8k8AUV— FrostyBoot (@FrostyBoot)1561037158.0
@TheNerdFu I’m sold!— Big Chris Spirito (@Big Chris Spirito)1561036231.0
Momoa raved about Dinklage, calling him "amazing." Now that fans got his blessing in public, the moderator said it was up to the "people on Twitter" to make that happen.
According to The Huffington Post, Momoa has not mentioned exploring that prospect. But with so many movies being revisited with a modern take, a Twins remake is not a long shot.
The 1988 movie, directed by Ivan Reitman, was a commercial success at the box office, opening at number one in the U.S. and earning $11 million during its first weekend of release.
Schwarzenegger and DeVito played fraternal twins–Vincent and Julius, respectively–who were created via a biological experiment in which the scientists involved told the mother (Bonnie Bartlett) that her babies died. Years later, Julius (Schwarzenegger) finds out information about his mother and brother and heads out to Los Angeles to reunite with his family.
In 2012, Universal announced a development of a sequel titled, Triplets, that would bring back Schwarzenegger and DeVito and would co-star Eddie Murphy as their long-lost brother.
It has yet to come to fruition, but the possibility of a sequel hasn't been scrapped, entirely.
Ivan Reitman confirms Triplets, the sequel to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito's Twins, is still in the works… https://t.co/4nE12eaXso— Consequence of Sound (@Consequence of Sound)1479955210.0
DeVito told MovieWeb:
"I mean one of the ideas that was floated around was Eddie Murphy. So it would be Arnold and Eddie and I. He's a fun guy. We're talking about doing 'Triplets.'"
"If you remember Twins there was a cocktail, we mixed it together, and then you wound up with these two gene pools, Arnold and I. It was a strange little movie. We figured you could probably have another portion of that cocktail turn into somebody else."
The project is still on the back-burner, and bringing Triplets to the big screen is dependent on one important factor.
DeVito added:
"Everybody would be up for it. The main thing is you have to have a screenplay. We're looking. We're figuring it out."
Maybe there's a reason why Universal has been circumnavigating the sequel.
Were they waiting on an idea for Quadruplets?
To see Momoa's star turn in Aquaman, the film is available here.
To relive all of Game of Thrones, you can pre-order the complete series boxed set here.
Whitney Bliesner has a rare genetic condition known as neurofibromatosis type 2, which causes noncancerous fibrous tumors to develop in her nervous system.
The hormonal changes that are a normal part of pregnancy stand a good chance of making this worse, so it isn't safe for Whitney to become pregnant. The tumors have already led to Bliesner's loss of sight in one eye and hearing in one ear.
Bliesner and Noe are fraternal twins, they do not share all of their DNA, so the genetic condition that affects Whitney isn't present in Jill.
When Whitney confided in Jill that she really wanted a baby, but surrogates and adoption were prohibitively expensive, Jill didn't hesitate before offering to act as a surrogate for her sister and her husband.
"I was like, yeah! Let's just do it! Let's just see where this goes and let's see if I can get my body to where it needs to be to have your kids."
Whitney spoke with The New York Post about her reaction to Jill's offer:
"I was speechless at first. She was giving up her life to do this for me."
Noe has always been very athletic, formerly playing basketball for Arizona State University. Bliesner told CNN that she was shocked her sister would give up that lifestyle for her.
"I was very happy and excited, but also shocked, because I know how active and fun and exciting her life is, and for her to want to actually stop that for me was just kind of like a shock."
Because of Whitney's medical concerns, they were unable to use her eggs, so the couple opted for a donor egg fertilized with Whitney's husband's sperm.
"We couldn't use my eggs because there's a 50/50 chance I could pass it on and I just don't think I would be able to live with myself if I knew I passed this condition to my kids."
Jill is currently in a relationship and said that things can get a bit awkward when meeting people for the first time. She told The Post:
"I tell people I'm a surrogate for my twin sister. As I see their wheels turning, I offer up the information that they used a donor egg and her husband's sperm — and no, I did not sleep with her husband!"
The ASU Alumni Association shared the news of Noe's act of love on Twitter.
From Sun Devil to surrogate, #ASUAlumni and former @SunDevilWBB player Jill Noe gives new meaning to the word team… https://t.co/gB1kumJHSD— ASU Alumni (@ASU Alumni)1554772504.0
Noe also shared the story on Facebook, to many congratulations from both friends and family, and the general public.
Patti Buess/Facebook
Karen Hartzman/Facebook
Alex Taimanao/Facebook
Keshia Victoria/Facebook
Family being there for family is nothing new, but the love that Noe has shared for her sister with this one act is remarkable.
She truly wants her sister to be happy.
"She's had so many things taken away from her. This is a way I can help provide her with two beautiful children."