While it may seem like fiction, there are plenty of animals that can literally turn themselves inside-out. From deep-sea animals that protect themselves from predators to a creature that can project its stomach, these creatures' insides have a habit of making an appearance on their outsides.
Whether its their stomach, anus or entire body, these animals' bizarre adaptations are unlike anything you've seen before.
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Animals that can turn themselves inside out
Starfish
Starfish have two stomach – and it can spit one of them out of their mouths. To engulf its prey of clams, shells and mussels, a starfish ejects its cardiac stomach outside of its mouth. This means it can eat prey that’s larger than its mouth. The stomach then re-enters its body and the pyloric stomach digests the food.
Honey badger
While honey badgers are known for their bone-breaking jaws, they also have a defence mechanism at the other end of their bodies. A honey badger’s anus is reversible, which allows them to secrete smelly odours to fend off or stun predators – much like a skunk does.
Vampire squid
This deep-sea creature has an interesting way of evading predators. When threatened, it inverts its body by pulling its head into its mantle. This exposes its spiny arms and makes it appear more threatening than it really is. And if that wasn’t enough, it also covers itself with a film of bioluminescent mucous.
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Sea cucumbers
With a squishy body and no obvious ways to defend itself against predators, the holothurid sea cucumber has evolved a rather unique alternative: it can violently eject its intestine and stomach out of its anus. These innards are laced with toxins, leaving the sea cucumber to make a getaway.
Sea urchins
Baby sea urchins looks very different to adult sea urchins: they swim through the ocean looking like a transparent spaceship. Inside, an adult sea urchin is growing. When the sea urchin gets closer to the shore it falls to the seafloor, and tube ‘feet’ reach out. It pulls itself inside out – and a miniature adult emerges.
