Turtles can breathe through their rear end — allowing them to survive winter underwater
Some trivia is so bizarre it forces you to rethink your entire understanding of the world. Check out the fact below, see how others reacted, and scroll down to dive into the verified science and history behind it.
Many freshwater turtle species survive winter by going into a torpor state at the bottom of frozen ponds and lakes where there's no air to breathe. They do this through cloacal bursae — highly vascular pouches near the cloaca (the all-purpose rear opening) that can absorb dissolved oxygen from water. Technically this is not 'breathing' but cutaneous respiration — gas exchange through a permeable surface. The turtle essentially 'breathes' water through its rear end at a metabolic rate low enough to sustain minimal winter survival.
This fact has a delightful absurdity that makes it memorable, but behind the comic framing is a genuinely remarkable adaptation: surviving months under ice without breathing air through a completely different gas exchange system located at the opposite end from the mouth.
The Science Behind It
Many freshwater turtle species survive winter by going into a torpor state at the bottom of frozen ponds and lakes where there's no air to breathe. They do this through cloacal bursae — highly vascular pouches near the cloaca (the all-purpose rear opening) that can absorb dissolved oxygen from water. Technically this is not 'breathing' but cutaneous respiration — gas exchange through a permeable surface. The turtle essentially 'breathes' water through its rear end at a metabolic rate low enough to sustain minimal winter survival.
Why Your Brain Finds This Hard to Believe
OddlyHuman Editorial
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