![]() Kathy Blumenstock is owned by cats, loved by dogs, writes about both, and still longs for a horse. The bill of a platypus resembles that of a duck and has a smooth texture that feels like suede. If you do see an ‘outie’ in a puppy, it is considered a hernia even, if it is small and there are no internal organs trapped inside (which is the case in most hernias), Casal said. A platypus's front feet have extra skin that acts like a paddle when the animal is swimming. “While our belly buttons remain visible reminders of our arrival in the world, in animals, the little scar remnant that is the belly button is covered by fur as the it grows.” “There are several theories as to why the belly button is not as prominent as it is in humans, one being that we tie the umbilical cord off rather than chew it apart,” she said. Casal says that the body wall heals very well and a small, flat scar (their belly button) is all that is left. If you’ve been around a dog who’s given birth and noticed a skinny, stick-like thing coming from her pups’ stomach area, no need to fret. The cord is then left to dry and falls off within the first one to three days of life, says Casal. ![]() This is how nutrients and oxygen are transported to the fetus and waste products transported off.”Īfter they give birth, dogs (and other animals) will chew their puppies’ umbilical cords off a few inches away from their bodies. “The belly button is the remnant of the attachment point of the umbilicus, which was attached to the placenta before birth. navel, umbilicus) with the exception of marsupials (like kangaroos) and egg-laying mammals such as the duck-billed platypus,” Casal says. Do Dogs Have Belly Buttons?Īs it turns out, dogs do indeed possess belly buttons, as do cats, rabbits, goats, horses and, of course, humans. She graciously offered to unbutton the mysteries on this point of animal anatomy. Margret Casal, Associate Professor of Medical Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. The inner surface of the stomach is lined with a hard epithelium and there are no glands, which is surprising because most mammals produce hydrochloric acids through glands to initiate the breaking down of proteins.It’s a question most dog parents probably never thought of before, but now you won’t be able to get it out of your head: Does my dog have a belly button? Those who gaze at their own navels (is yours an ‘innie’ or an ‘outie’?) may have briefly contemplated the existence of belly buttons in their pets, but hesitated to ask their own vets to confirm what they fear is a silly thought.įor some authoritative 411 on belly buttons, we reached out to Dr. Monotremes have an interesting digestive system as well. Upon detecting food, the earthworm is excavated with the echidna’s front feet and scooped up with the tongue. Known for its unique-looking appearance, the platypus belongs to a small group of mammals called monotremes, of which there are only a few species. Finally, the long – beaked echidna feeds mainly on earthworms, which it does by probing its long nose into soil to hunt. The platypus (also commonly known as the duck-billed platypus) is a small species of semi-aquatic mammal indigenous to the eastern coast of Australia. The platypus regularly surfaces to process the food it has caught. The Duck-billed Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Just one more reason why they are as wonderful as they are weird. Platypus aren’t alone: scientists estimate that about one-quarter of fish species have also lost their stomach over the course of evolutionary history. ![]() The prey then is stored in large cheek pouches as the platypus hunts for more food. But if you peer inside a platypus, you’ll find that their gullet connects directly to their intestines. The platypus has the ability to eat both large and small prey animals (larger prey are crushed against the hard palate and the smaller prey are strained out of the water or sediment. The duck – billed platypus, however, hunts underwater in the dark, relying as well on its sense of smell, to detect electrical fields generated by other living creatures. The short – beaked echidna can claw open the nest and eat up the ants with its long, sticky tongue. However, different species of monotremes have different diets. As, adults, all monotremes have no teeth. All young monotremes depend on milk produced by their mother’s mammary glands.
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