Monozygotic Twin Wolves with Divergent Life Histories

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Genetic evidence for monozygotic (identical) twinning in mammalian species is rare in the literature. Here we report what may be the first pair of monozygotic twins identified in a wild caniform carnivore, the grey wolf (Canis lupus). One of these individuals remained in its natal population of Banks Island, Northwest Territories, Canada, while its twin migrated across the polar sea ice to the mainland. This suggests divergent life history strategies in genetically identical individuals, making this incidence of twinning particularly interesting.Key words: wolf, Canis lupus, monozygotic twin, identical twin, Banks Island, dispersal, migration, life history RÉSUMÉ. Il est rare que la documentation fasse état de preuves génétiques à l'égard de jumeaux monozygotes (identiques) chez les espèces de mammifères. Ici, nous faisons mention de ce qui pourrait être la première paire de jumeaux monozygotes identifiée chez un carnivore caniforme sauvage, le loup gris (Canis lupus). Un de ces individus est resté au sein de sa population natale de l'île Banks, dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest, au Canada, tandis que son jumeau a migré jusqu'à la terre ferme au moyen de la glace polaire. Cela laisse entrevoir des stratégies de cycle biologique différentes chez des individus génétiquement identiques, ce qui rend cette gémellité particulièrement intéressante.

Twins Reared Apart: A Forgotten Case / Twin Research Reviews: X-Inactivation and Female Co-Twin Discordance for Hemophilia; Transplantation for Breast Reconstruction; Chimerism and Telomere Attrition in Dizygotic Twins; Divergent Life Histories in Twins Reared Apart / Current Concerns: High ACT-Scoring Twins; Dating a Twin; When Gender Identities Diverge / The Holland Twins

“…Twin Research & Human Genetics is devoted to human twin studies, yet the following case of twin wolves should be of interest. The original report by Carmichael et al (2008) is worth reading.…”

Evidence of adoption, monozygotic twinning, and low inbreeding rates in a large genetic pedigree of polar bears

“…Like adoption, monozygotic twinning is taxonomically widespread but infrequent, and although well described in humans (e.g., Bulmer 1970) and cattle (e.g., Silva del Río et al 2006), few cases have been documented in wildlife species. Monozygotic quadruplets are the normal mode of reproduction among some species of armadillos (Hardy 1995), and monozygotic twins have been identified in lesser flat-headed bats (Tylonycteris pachypus; Hua et al 2011), in wolves (Canis lupus; Carmichael et al 2009), among some species of pinnipeds (Spotte 1982), including Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella; Hoffman and Forcada 2009), and possibly in mule deer (Anderson and Wallmo 1984). The apparent scarcity of monozygotic twins is partially attributable to the difficulty of identifying them, as this requires genetic or embryological confirmation.…”