Do Elephants Have Belly Buttons?

Elephants are majestic creatures that have captivated humans for centuries with their immense size, intelligence, and complex social structures. But have you ever wondered – do elephants have belly buttons? This is actually an interesting question with a surprisingly complex answer.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Yes, elephants do have belly buttons.

What is a Belly Button?

The belly button, also referred to as the navel or umbilicus, is a scar on the abdomen marking the point where the umbilical cord was attached during gestation. It serves the crucial purpose of providing oxygen and nutrients from the mother to the developing fetus via the placenta.

So in short, it’s the leftover mark from the lifeline that sustained us before birth.

Definition and purpose of a belly button in mammals

In placental mammals like humans, dogs, elephants, etc, the belly button scar marks the spot where the umbilical cord was inserted to connect the fetus to the placenta inside the mother’s uterus. This supplied vital oxygen and nutrients enabling the baby to grow until birth.

So essentially, the main purpose of the belly button is to facilitate life support from mom to baby before it can survive independently.

After birth, the umbilical cord is clamped and the leftover part dries up and falls off, leaving behind the belly button – a reminder of our time in the womb. As adults, it doesn’t serve any clear purpose, yet almost all mammals have one. Pretty wild when you think about it!

Do all mammals have belly buttons?

Nearly all mammals have belly buttons as remnants from their umbilical cords, including whales, dolphins, elephants, dogs, and even kangaroos! Marsupials like kangaroos have belly buttons despite their very premature birth because they are still connected to a placenta and umbilical cord in early development.

The only mammals that don’t have navels are those without placentas during gestation.

There are only 2 types of mammals that don’t develop placentas or umbilical cords – monotremes and marsupials after birth. Monotremes like platypuses and echidnas lay eggs, so they skip the whole umbilical cord thing altogether.

The other kind are marsupials like kangaroos, koalas and opossums which do form placentas and belly buttons initially, but their umbilical cords detach so early that the belly buttons vanish without a trace before entering the pouch.

Elephant Development in the Womb

Gestation period and fetal development

The gestation period for an elephant fetus is an impressively long 22 months, giving the baby elephant plenty of time to develop. During the first few weeks after conception, the fertilized egg divides and implants into the uterine wall.

Over the coming months, the fetus will grow rapidly, developing essential organs and skeletal structure.

According to the San Diego Zoo, the elephant fetus starts to develop its trunk around the 11th week. This amazing appendage grows longer and stronger over the remainder of gestation. By month 15, the fetus is surprisingly large, comparable in size to some mature animals.

Fat stores develop during the final months to prepare for early life outside the womb.

Throughout this remarkable 22 month journey, the mother provides everything the fetus needs through her blood supply. The exchange takes place via the placenta and umbilical cord, which provide the growing baby elephant with oxygen and nutrients for development.

It’s amazing to think a fetus can survive and thrive for almost two years prior to birth! The incredible gestation period allows time for extraordinary growth and gives baby elephants the best start in their captivating lives.

Umbilical cord and placenta

The umbilical cord is the essential connection between mother and fetus during gestation. In elephants, the cord can grow remarkably long – stretching up to 3 meters by the end of the 22 month gestation period! This impressive length allows the fetus ample space to grow and move around the womb.

Oxygenated nutrient-rich blood travels from the mother elephant’s blood supply into the fetal blood system via the umbilical cord and placenta. This supply line provides everything the fetus needs to develop organs, a skeletal system, and thick skin.

The fetal heart pumps blood back to the placenta where waste products are removed back into the mother’s circulation for disposal.

According to the University of Michigan Health Lab, the elephant’s placental attachments take up most of the uterine wall space. This allows maximal exchange of gases, nutrients and waste products for the incredible duration of fetal development.

The umbilical cord and placenta are truly marvels of nature, supporting an elephant fetus for almost two years before it takes its first breath outside the womb!

Elephant Belly Buttons

Description and Location of the Elephant Belly Button

Elephants, like all mammals, have a navel or belly button located on their stomach. The belly button on an elephant is relatively small compared to the size of their body. It is a round indentation that may be a few inches across.

The belly button is located in the middle of the stomach towards the bottom.

An elephant’s belly button marks the spot where the umbilical cord was attached during gestation. While in the mother’s womb, the umbilical cord connects a developing baby elephant to its mother and allows nutrients and oxygen to pass from the mother to the fetus.

After birth, the umbilical cord is cut and the belly button remains as a scar.

On baby elephants, the belly button is very noticeable since their stomachs are still small. As the elephant grows and its stomach expands, the belly button becomes relatively smaller but it is still present. The belly button may be barely visible when covered by dirt or skin folds.

Gentle rubbing can reveal an elephant’s small round navel indentation.

Changes to Belly Button as Elephant Ages

An elephant’s belly button goes through some changes over the animal’s lifespan of 60-70 years. When elephants are born, their belly button stick out slightly since their abdominal wall is still developing. The belly button is rounded, raw, and pinkish in color on newborn calves.

As the baby elephant matures, its belly hardens and the navel recedes inward to become an “innie” belly button. On adolescent and adult elephants, the belly button appears as a circular crevice in the stomach.

The size ranges from a couple inches across on smaller elephants to almost half a foot wide on larger adults. Lint and dirt often collects inside an elephant’s innie navel.

On elderly elephants, the belly button may lose some definition and stretch out a bit with the elephant’s expanding stomach. Increased skin sagging and wrinkling around the midsection can make the navel less pronounced. However, the belly button scar from the umbilical cord remains for life.

An elephant’s belly button does not close up completely even in old age.

Differences Between Elephant and Human Belly Buttons

Size and shape differences

Elephants have much larger belly buttons than humans. An elephant’s belly button can be up to 5 inches wide, while a human’s is typically less than 1 inch wide. Elephants’ belly buttons are more oval shaped, while humans tend to have round-shaped belly buttons.

These size and shape differences are due to the differences between elephant and human pregnancy. Elephant calves are much larger at birth, with an average weight around 200 pounds. Human newborns usually weigh between 5-10 pounds.

The larger abdominal space required for elephant pregnancies results in a larger, more oval-shaped belly button.

Protrusion vs inset belly buttons

Another key difference is that elephants have protruding belly buttons that stick out, while humans have inset belly buttons that go inwards. An elephant’s belly button sticks out noticeably from their belly. But a person’s belly button is indented into their abdomen.

This is because an elephant’s umbilical cord does not fall off shortly after birth like a human’s. An elephant calf’s umbilical cord stays attached for several days before drying up and detaching. The cord leaves behind more scar tissue and a more pronounced bulge for the elephant’s belly button.

Additionally, elephant skin is much thicker than human skin. The thicker skin and more scar tissue causes their belly buttons to protrude outwards. Humans have thinner abdominal skin that sinks inward around the belly button area.

Why Do Elephants Have Belly Buttons?

As fellow mammals, elephants share many common anatomical traits with humans and other animals that develop in the womb connected to their mothers by umbilical cords and placentas. One lasting sign of that prenatal development is the belly button or navel marking the spot where the umbilical cord was attached.

But why do elephants need belly buttons if they no longer serve a purpose after birth?

Evidence of Shared Mammalian Fetal Development

During gestation, a mammal fetus is nourished by the placenta, an organ attached to the uterus that provides oxygen and nutrients from the mother’s bloodstream. The placenta is connected to the developing embryo or fetus via the umbilical cord.

This lifeline carries vital blood flow between the placenta and the fetus’ navel region until the baby is ready for delivery.

Elephants develop in their mothers’ wombs in much the same way as humans and other mammals. An elephant fetus forms from cell division after sexual reproduction between a male and female elephant. This ball of cells implants into the uterine wall to further divide and develop into an embryo attached by blood vessels leading to the placenta and umbilical cord.

So in short, the reason elephants and all placental mammals have belly buttons is because of the temporary umbilical cord that connected them to mom’s placenta during gestation. They bear a scar marking where they received nourishment in utero before being born.

Vestigial Structure Remaining in Adults

Since the umbilical cord and placenta are no longer needed after a baby elephant is born, the belly button remains as a vestigial structure. While it may seem useless, the navel scar serves as evidence of the shared developmental patterns across placental mammals.

So in a sense, belly buttons could be deemed biological evidence that supports the theory of evolution, showing elephants’ relation to other mammals with similar fetal formation dependent on umbilical cords.

Even though the cord stump dries off and the belly button doesn’t serve an overt purpose after birth, the nominal scar remains visible in most adult elephants. So yes, elephants of both sexes typically have small indented belly buttons just like humans and other mammal species.

Conclusion

In summary, yes, elephants do have belly buttons just like humans and other placental mammals. An elephant’s belly button is the scar that remains from the umbilical cord that attached it to its mother’s placenta in the womb.

While elephant belly buttons can look quite different from a human’s, they serve as evidence of the shared developmental process in the womb that all mammals undergo. The elephant’s belly button remains visible its whole life, reminding us of the incredible process of gestation and birth.

We hope this has answered your question about whether majestic elephants have belly buttons like us. Let us know if you have any other fascinating questions about these remarkable animals!