Got the Guts?

Girl in blue shirt eating banana
Girl in blue shirt eating banana
Um… I think so?

Sure you do.

And I’m not just talking about your inner strength and bravery, my badass friend. You, as a human being, have guts inside your body. And those guts include a stomach and a digestive system. (Duh.)

But you know who doesn’t have a stomach? This guy.

Platypus
Hi there.

I had no idea until just now. But platypuses—and some other aquatic species including seahorses and lungfishes—do not have stomachs. Their esophagus (that handy tube that food travels through) is directly connected to their intestine. Apparently, these animals lost their stomachs over the course of evolution. Scientists are still looking into why and how this happened. But in the case of the platypus, it may be linked to their simple—and squishy—diet that is largely made up of larvae and worms. They don’t need stomach acids to help break down or digest their (mostly) mushy meals.

When they do chow down on a crunchy crustacean? They gather gravel in their mouth to help break it down instead. Platypuses also don’t have teeth, by the way.

I’ve said it before. And I’m saying it again right now: Platypuses are one of the most unique species on the planet.

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