Everyone has a belly button, but have you stopped to take a look at yours recently?
Chances are, probably not. We’ve all had belly buttons for far longer than we can remember and just accept them as that odd little gap in our stomachs.
Of course, our navels, or umbilicus as they are technically called, are remnants of what helped keep us alive and nourished in the womb.
Kids Health goes further to explain that the umbilical cord is a, “flexible tube that carries oxygen and nutrients from the mother to the baby.”
Since we float in liquid in the womb, the cord is the only way for us to get all of the good stuff we need to grow and survive.
Our belly buttons serve as a reminder of this, but that doesn’t make them any less fascinating.
Check out a few things you probably never knew about your own belly button below.
Thumbnail Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Bologini
1. Only 10% Of People Have Outies
Morgan Swofford for LittleThings
There are two main types of belly buttons that people have: innies and outies.
Although innies are usually deemed more desirable, outies are actually far more rare.
According to the American Museum of Natural History, only 10% of people in the world even have outies.
2. Cord Cutting Doesn’t Determine Bellybutton Type
Morgan Swofford for LittleThings
There has been a rumor flying around that leads people to believe that cord cutting determines what type of belly button you have. This is a common misconception.
3. Bellybutton Type Is Determined Inside The Wonb
Morgan Swofford for LittleThings
In reality, whether you have an innie or an outie depends on how your skin grows around the cord in the womb.
AMNH explains that whether your skin folds in or out to make an innie or outie happens during the healing process depending on which way your skin folds.
4. Being Pregnant Can Turn An Innie Into An Outie
Morgan Swofford for LittleThings
Your body goes through a lot of changes during pregnancy. One of them could affect your belly button.
According to Office on Women’s Health, the pressure on your growing stomach from the inside could cause your belly button to stick out during the third trimester.
5. There Is A Such Thing As A “Perfect Navel”
Morgan Swofford for LittleThings
“Perfect” is always a relative term, but researchers seem to think there is such thing when it comes to our navals.
The US National Library of Medicine says plastic surgeons determined that the ideal naval is a, “T- or vertically shaped umbilicus with superior hooding.”
Again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, including belly buttons.
6. Thousands Of People Get Belly Button Surgery Per Year
Morgan Swofford for LittleThings
Speaking of the “perfect naval,” plenty of people decide to go under the knife to get their own.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports that hundreds of thousands of people get their belly buttons taken care of while they get tummy tucks. A couple thousand even go in for belly button surgery alone.
7. Lint Comes From Clothes
Morgan Swofford for LittleThings
It’s always a little alarming to find anything in your belly button, especially something that your body doesn’t produce, like fuzz.
Belly button fluff is just an accumulation of fibers from our clothes that spend so much time near our belly buttons.
8. All Mammals Have Bellybuttons
Morgan Swofford for LittleThings
Humans aren’t the only creatures with belly buttons. We share this trait with all mammals.
Mammals all develop inside their mother’s wombs, with very few exceptions.
This means every mammal once depended on an umbilical cord and is left with a belly button. The only trick is that you usually can’t see them because most mammals have fur.
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