Some Turtles Can Breathe Through Their Butts 🍑
Channel: Facts&Roll
Date: 2024-03-30

Did you know that some turtles can breathe through their "butts"? This "superpower" is known as cloacal respiration, and it allows certain aquatic turtles, like the Australian Fitzroy River turtle, to stay submerged underwater for extended periods, up to three weeks without coming up for air. 

Essentially, these turtles have evolved to extract oxygen directly from the water through their cloaca, an all-purpose opening used for excretion and reproduction. This unique adaptation is particularly useful during winter months, when turtles enter a state of brumation (similar to hibernation) and remain inactive at the bottom of ponds and lakes. Instead of having to surface for air, these turtles can stay safely hidden from predators and conserve energy by breathing through their rear ends. This extraordinary example of evolutionary innovation showcases the diverse strategies life on Earth has developed to survive and thrive in various environments.

For these turtles, having a breath of fresh air takes on a whole new meaning, quite literally from the bottom up!

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