The twin ducklings were dubbed Romulus and Remus, and are believed to be the first pair ever to survive after hatching.

A shell-shocked Roger Oliver of the Cornish Duck Company in St. Austell videotaped the births after noticing the egg had two embryos as he was checking for the birth viability of the egg.

He soon saw two beaks pecking their way out from both ends. With a little help getting out of the shell from his partner Tanya Dalton, the two chicks were soon peeping their way into history.

A similar twin hatching occurred in Canada, but the ducklings did not survive.

Exmoor Zoo specialist Derek Gibson told reporters that when such twin fertilization occurs within one egg, one of the chicks becomes dominate and thrives at the expense of the other, which dies.

“Because the size of the egg is fixed and can't grow, there isn't usually room for two ducklings to grow,” Gibson said.

Photo: Cornish Duck Company