Turtles can breathe through their rear end — allowing them to survive winter underwater
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.
“Turtles survive winter underwater by absorbing oxygen through pouches near their rear end — they essentially breathe through their butt. This is how they survive months under ice with no air. 🐢 #OddlyHuman”