Why are nine-banded armadillo quadruplets genetically identical?

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Nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus). — armadillo Nine-banded armadillo (*Dasypus novemcinctus*).

Nine-banded armadillos produce genetically identical quadruplets due to a biological phenomenon known as polyembryony.

In this process, a single fertilized egg splits into multiple embryos during development in the uterus. Because all four offspring originate from the same single egg, they share the exact same genetic material, resulting in identical quadruplets.123