We have belly buttons because they mark the spot where our umbilical cord was once attached. The umbilical cord is a flexible tube that connected a developing baby to their mother in the womb, carrying nutrients, oxygen, and removing waste. After birth, the cord is cut, and the remaining stump falls off, leaving a belly button as a scar with no further physiological function.
Why Belly Buttons Exist
- The umbilical cord is essential during pregnancy for nutrient and oxygen delivery and waste removal.
- Once a baby is born, the umbilical cord is no longer needed and is cut, leaving a small scar—the belly button.
- Belly buttons are essentially scars where the umbilical cord was attached.
Belly Button Shapes and Characteristics
- Belly buttons come in different shapes, primarily "innies" and "outies," depending on how the cord stump heals.
- The belly button is just a scar and has no function after birth.
- The connective tissue from the umbilical cord remains beneath the skin and shapes the belly button's appearance.
Belly Buttons in Animals
- Many mammals have belly buttons as remnants of umbilical cord attachment.
- Animals that lay eggs, such as birds and reptiles, do not have belly buttons.
Thus, belly buttons are a lifelong reminder of prenatal connection to the mother and are purely a scar left from the umbilical cord that supported life before birth.
