Nothing could have prepared Maria and Lucy Aylmer’s parents for the surprise in the delivery room when they found out they were expecting twins in 1996. Because, while the Aylmers knew their twins would not be identical, they had no clue how dissimilar the girls would look.

After all, how often do parents have twins with different skin tones than themselves? Because of their natal looks, many people worried about what the girls would look like as they grew older. That seems sense given that something like this doesn’t happen every day.

Maria and Lucy Aylmer were born on January 16, 1997 in this case. They share a mother and father and are unmistakably twins. Their mother, on the other hand, was taken aback when the twins were delivered to her in the delivery room. Yes, her baby girls couldn’t have been more dissimilar.

“However, her mother dressed the girls in the same outfits over and over during their childhood.” Of course, this did nothing to disguise their physical differences. The two girls didn’t appear to be sisters, let alone twins. In fact, as they grew older, the girls had difficulty convincing anyone that they were sisters at all!

The girls’ mother, Donna Douglas, a 49-year-old warehouse worker, is of mixed race with Jamaican heritage. Their father, Vince Aylmer, a 55-year-old scaffolder, is white. The girls also have three older siblings with completely different skin colors. So here is the science part.

Lucy and Maria were born as fraternal twins from distinct eggs. This implies that they did not share the same genes. She possesses genes for both Afro-Caribbean and white complexion due to her mother’s mixed-race origin. As a result, the twins’ skin color would be determined by a lottery in the womb.

George, 25, and Jordan, 23, the twins’ older brothers, and Chynna, 24, their older sister, all have light brown skin. Maria and Lucy are diametrically opposed to their siblings: Lucy has a very pale complexion, while Maria’s skin is deeper in tone.

“Our siblings have a skin that is between Mary and me,” Lucy explains. We’re on opposing sides of the spectrum, while they’re all in the middle. But, like myself, my grandma has a very fair English pink complexion.” The girls’ variances aren’t limited to their skin tones.

Lucy, for example, has blue eyes, whilst Maria has brown eyes. Maria’s hair is a tangle of thick black curls, while Lucy is a redhead who loves to straighten her natural curls. Their personalities are also drastically different.

Maria is far more outgoing and self-assured than her sister. “I love meeting new people,” Maria said to Inside Edition. “I’m not afraid to approach people.” “I, on the other hand, am,” Lucy confessed. “I’m terrified of walking up to random strangers.” And the distinctions don’t stop there.

To add to the confusion, the girls’ style choices couldn’t be less similar. Maria, for example, loves to dress up and chooses tailored clothes and an elegant look. Lucy, at the other end of the scale, prefers more casual clothes.