…THE BELLY BUTTON IS LIKE A SCAR THAT APPEARS AFTER BIRTH? The umbilical cord is responsible for connecting the fetus (the baby inside the mother’s belly) to the placenta (the structure that surrounds it), thus feeding it. After the birth, the umbilical cord falls off and leaves a scar on the baby’s abdomen.

…IN JAPAN, THERE IS A BELLY BUTTON FESTIVAL? Heso Matsuri is celebrated in the city of Furano, which is considered Japan’s belly button since it is right in the middle of the country. In this festival, people paint their bellies and wear giant hats for the traditional belly button dance.

…PEOPLE’S BELLY BUTTON CAN FACE IN OR OUT? What determines this is mostly the amount of skin the baby has in the area.

…OMPHALOPLASTY IS THE COSMETIC PROCEDURE THAT SOME PEOPLE GET ON THEIR BELLY BUTTON? Omphalophobia is the intense distress that some people feel in relation to this part of the body.

…ALMOST ALL MAMMALS HAVE A BELLY BUTTON? Marsupials (such as kangaroos and koalas) do not have a belly button, since the final gestation stage takes place inside the marsupium (external pouch of the mother’s body). Monotremes (platypuses and echidnas) lay eggs and therefore do not have an umbilical cord.

SOURCES: UFMG, OH MATSURI, JAPAN IN FOCUS, STUDENT GUIDE, BRASIL ESCOLA, MUNDO EDUCAÇÃO, RECREIO, AND MEGA CURIOSO/

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