The pups were abandoned by their mother after they were born at Horsey Gap on the Norfolk coast.

Abandoned by their mother last November

Twin seal pups found in Norfolk last November are the first to be recorded in the world, it has been confirmed.

The pups, named C-3PO and R2D2, were abandoned by their mother after they were born in the dunes at Horsey Gap.

Experts tested the seals and blood-stained sand from the site of the birth, which revealed they have the same mother.

Speaking to BBC News, Anne Kirstine Frie, of the Institute of Marine Research, said: "It is so rare. It is very exciting. I have never experienced it myself, and my British colleagues who do a lot of fieldwork have never observed it.

"It must happen in the wild from time to time, but we have never had knowledge of wild grey seal twins. In the wild they very rarely survive, the both of them, but these are both in good health."

The seals were rescued and taken to the RSPCA Wildlife Hospital at East Winch, near King’s Lynn, after their mother stopped feeding them for 24 hours.

Alison Charles, manager at RSPCA East Winch commented: “At the moment these two lovely seal pups are not quite up to full weight but they are nearly there and as soon as they are we will be releasing them back into the wild where they belong.

“We give the seals names as more of a reference for us when we are feeding them and administering medication. But it is always fun to try to match a seal up to a character if we can. This year’s name theme is Star Wars characters so when these two came in as a pair it seemed only right they were named C-3PO and R2D2.

“We have certainly never come across twin seals before here at the RSPCA so this is really special.”

Image (C) RSPCA