(January 3, 2009) - A mixed-race couple in England has defied the odds by again becoming parents of twins who have different skin colors. 

According to Britain's Daily Mail, in 2001 Dean Durrant, who is Black, and Alison Spooner who is White, had twin daughters. And, just like their parents, one appeared Black and the other White. 

The couple repeated their history-making feat a few days ago when Spooner, 27 gave birth by Cesarean section to another set of twin girls who also took on the individual appearance of their parents. 

Now the couple has four daughters -- two who have the same pigmentation of their father and two who have the same skin coloring as their mother. 

"There's no easy way to explain it all," Durrant, 33, was reported as saying. "I'm still in shock myself." 

Both sets of twins are fraternal -- meaning they are the product of two separately fertilized eggs-- therefore it isn't unusual that they don't resemble. 

However, medical researchers say it's rare for a couple to have two sets of twins and even rarer for them to have such different appearances. 

"Even non-identical twins aren't that common," said Dr. Sarah Jarvis of Britain's Royal College of General Practitioners in an Associated Press interview. "Non-identical twins from mixed parents, of different races, less common still. To have two eggs fertilized and come out different colors, less common still. But I never thought for one second they would turn out the same as last time." 

Medical studies indicate that the chance of giving birth to a second set of twins with different skin colors is 1 in 500,000. They also suggest that although the phenomenon remains uncommon, it's likely to become common considering the growing increase in mixed race couples.

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