All Turtles Message Board

sweetangel314 · Level 1 Joined: 15 Dec 2002 Posts: 7

Recently my teacher told the class that turtles breath from there butt and from there nose. I was wondering is that true?
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Mr.T-RES

penguin_perfection · Level 3 Joined: 18 Sep 2002 Posts: 117

Do you breate from your butt? I don\'t think it is possible since they don\'t have a windpipe back there.
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·Owner of Keiko and Shamu the midland painted turtles·

l8or g8or · Moderator Joined: 13 May 2002 Posts: 397

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/011116.html

sweetangel314 · Level 1 Joined: 15 Dec 2002 Posts: 7

Thanks.. now i will prove my teacher wrong..
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Mr.T-RES

l8or g8or · Moderator Joined: 13 May 2002 Posts: 397

\"Turtles have extraordinary anaerobic capacity--they have survived up to 33 hours in a pure nitrogen atmosphere. (Most reptiles have a high anaerobic capacity compared to mammals, but even they can\'t survive much more than 30 minutes without oxygen.) Although basically air-breathing, many aquatic species have developed ways to pick up oxygen even when submerged. Of these the most remarkable, which some turtles share with dragonfly nymphs, sea cucumbers, and certain televangelists, is the ability to breathe through one\'s butt. You\'ve heard the expression ‘Blow it out your after regions?’ It\'s no mere figure of speech. Many species have a pair of sacs (bursae) opening off the cloaca (combined digestive and urogenital chamber). These are heavily vascularized to facilitate the uptake of oxygen.\"

penguin_perfection · Level 3 Joined: 18 Sep 2002 Posts: 117

My god thats disturbing...Imagine breathing from your butt! It says SOME turtles...which ones?
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·Owner of Keiko and Shamu the midland painted turtles·