Meet the Clydesdale. The Clydesdale breed once almost faced extinction. Even though there is little practical use for heavy horses today because their muscle power has been replaced by machinery, breeders and enthusiasts have ensured that the breed is increasing, rather diminishing in numbers.
1 Over the three decades, the twin birth rate rose by 76 percent, from 18.9 to 33.2 per 1,000 births (or from 1.9 percent to 3.3 percent of all births) (Figure 1). 2  Increases in the twin birth rate averaged more than 2 percent a year from 1980 through 2004 (peaking at more than 4 percent from 1995 to 1998).
Supersize twins: Meet Hannah and Thomas (combined weight of 17lb 8oz) whose mother's waistline grew to a bumper 57ins during her pregnancy. 1  Sara Chiad, 38, from Derbyshire, gave birth to Hannah and Thomas. 2  The average weight of a twin is usually just 5lb. 3  Mother-of-four already has Christopher, nine, and Rebekah, five.