The human body is pretty amazing, and I mean that in the true sense of the word: it’s both impressive and, at times, genuinely surprising. It’s easy to take that for granted, forgetting that our bodies aren’t just what we see on the outside, but a complex, interconnected network of cells, tissues, organs and bones working together in ways we don’t always understand.
It’s just as easy to forget that beyond the obvious differences in how we look, we’re all unique in ways we might never expect—that is, until someone shows off a “party trick” like touching their nose with their tongue. (I pretty much made this my unofficial life mission after watching my grandmother do it.) Some of these quirks are more common than others, but some are the kind of anomalies you’d rarely come across, and those are exactly what this list is about.
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I Have Vitiligo & Heterochromia
I was born with Heterochromia & developed Vitiligo when I was around 8-9 years old. I used to hate living with both conditions, but have learned to embrace & love my appearance.
I Have Purple Eyes
My Sister Is A Ginger And Has Heterochromia. A Genetic Masterpiece!
Looking through this list, you’d be excused for thinking your body is hardly unique. After all, how many of us can say we have a whole extra set of teeth, a naturally forked tongue, or a mysterious spot that glows under UV light? But that doesn’t mean your body is anything less than one of a kind. In fact, as Dr. Sermed Mezher reminds us, each of us has differences that “manifest in our genetic makeup, cognitive processes, emotional responses, life experiences, and even in the microscopic communities of bacteria that live within us.”
My Niece Has 6 Fingers On Both Hands
I Was Born With A Giant Congenital Nevus
My Child That Was Born Last Week Has Natural Blonde Highlights
Hopefully they don't fade out. They will never need a color appointment.
That first one—genetic makeup—might seem pretty obvious. You only need to have watched a single episode of CSI to know that DNA can be pretty useful for distinguishing one person from another. But did you know that, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute, any two people’s genomes—complete sets of DNA instructions found in every cell—are typically around 99.6% identical? Don’t let that seemingly small 0.4% margin fool you, though.
I Was Born With One Of The Rarest Forms Of Belly Buttons In The World
You are not born with a belly button. The form of the belly button depends of the cut of the ombilical cord.
Feet With No Toe Nails
Is this available as an upgrade? My toenails are getting farther away and my arms aren't getting any longer.
I See Your Single Webbed Finger And Raise You Both Hands
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, humans show considerable genetic variation, with no two people—apart from identical twins—being genetically identical. Most of these genetic differences have little or no noticeable effect, but some contribute to differences in physical appearance, aspects of personality and susceptibility to disease. And genetic differences can also influence more than what we can see or easily measure. As Dr. Mezher explains, “These genetic differences” can also influence “how we metabolize food, and how we perceive the world around us.”
My Hands After A Couple Hours In The Cold Due To Thoracic Outlet Syndrome And Functional Acrocyanosis
I Was Born Without Finger Or Toe Prints
Vitiligo Turned My Eyelashes And Beard White
My BIL was salt and pepper gray when her graduated high school and was completely gray when he finished college 4 years later.
While genetic differences might account for some of the anomalies on this list, it’s worth remembering that all of our bodies are perhaps even stranger than we often realize. Much of what happens inside us is hidden from view: many of our cells are constantly being replaced, electrical signals are firing, and bone is continually being broken down and rebuilt. We rarely give any of this a second thought because, as Cris Tolomia, writing for Quartz, puts it, “that smoothness is the trick. The body only draws attention to itself when something goes wrong, so the ordinary state of being alive tends to hide the parts that are genuinely peculiar.”
Mri Photo Of My Brain Yes This Is Real
I Have A Birth Defect That Makes Me Unable To Bend My Thumbs
My Hairy Legs
You all called them crazy. Conspiracy theorists. Delusional, unhinged, obsessed with mythological creatures.....but now, we can see sasquatch is not only real....but a reddit user.
And maybe that’s part of what makes the human body so fascinating: what we consider “ordinary” is often really just the version of it we happen to experience every day, and no two people’s ordinary looks quite the same. In that sense, although some of the anomalies featured on this list might be pretty rare, they’re part of a bigger picture. The human body is full of quirks, variations and peculiarities, many of which we simply go through life without noticing.
Webbed Toes - After 40 Years Of Hiding These… Ive Decided To Reveal!
My Left Hand Is Missing A Finger As It Was What Formed My Thumb
This Is A Condition Called Hyperdontia
And so, while most of us only have eight fingers, two thumbs and ten toes, we each have our own unique traits—maybe a lopsided smile, an oddly shaped ear, or a tongue that reaches the tip of our nose. Because being different, it seems, isn’t the exception; it’s the rule. It’s just that noticing it sometimes requires a closer look.
Human Eye With True Polycoria (Multiple Pupils)
My Vitiligo Hair. The White Hair Contains No Pigment
I Have Fraternal Thumbs, 1 From Each Parent Due To A Genetic Mutation On My Dads Side (Unilateral Brachydactyly Type D)
I have the same weird thumb, but only on my right hand. :D My aunt and I have this in our family.
My Left Eye Has Two Colors:
My Boyfriend Has These Swirls On Both Sides Of His Neck
My Sons Hair Is Half Straight Half Curly Almost Down The Middle
I Have (Almost) No Eye Colour
It's not the 'eye colour' that's the odd thing - it's the coloboma (misshapen) pupil
The Hair On My Body Grows In 3's
Eye After Retinal Detachment Surgery. The Surgeon Had To Cut The Iris Which Resulted In A Permanent Fixed Pupil And Hole In The Iris. The Orange Blob Is Light Reflecting Through The Hole Off The Back Off The Eye
My Tongue Is Naturally Forked
I'm guessing that the person who commented, "Liar!" and got downvoted into oblivion was making a joke based on "speaking with a forked tongue" and nobody got it. RIP, subtle humour.
Luckily, Is Not The Middle Finger
My Hair Strand That Turned Gray Halfway Then Got Its Color Back
I Have Dermatographia Which Means I Can ‘Draw’ On My Skin
This occurs sometimes as an isolated condition, but can also be part of a broader mast cell disorder. This is one of the reasons I am now being assessed for MCAS; yes, I can also write on my skin. It isn't so much a fun party trick in my case, though, as the itching is unbearable, even with a high dose of antihistamines.
I Have An Extra Tooth On The Roof Of My Mouth!
Got Into A Bubble Bath That Was Too Hot And My Fingernails Made A Gradient
My Sister-In-Law’s Eyes Are 2 Different Colors, And Her Right Pupil Is Shaped Like A Cat’s Eye
I Met The Guy Who Has No Middle Joints
Wild. So is he bending the top joints, or are they always like that?
This Kid That Goes To My School Has An Extra Finger On His Right Hand
OK I'll admit it, I am wondering which finger they use to give someone the middle finger.
My Blood Vessels Pick Up More Dirt
This Patch Of White Hair We Somehow Just Found On My Head Today At Only 20 Years Old
My Pupils Became Asymmetrical During A Cluster Headache
My Skin Shed Like Snakes
I Have Two Teeth "Fist Bumping" Inside Of My Jaw Bone
My Beard Grows 1/4 Orange And Is Split At Pretty Much The Middle Of My Chin (Even Extends Up To My Bottom Lip)
I Only Get Goosebumps On One Side Of My Body Ever Since I Had Spine Surgery
Four Fingers
I've Never Seen A Newborn Picture Of My Thumb Heart. Welcome To The Thumb Heart Club Little Guy !
My Fiance Has A Spot That Glows Green Under UV Light
I Have An Eye Freckle
The Bits I Found On My Tongue The Other Day
My Grandpas Cool Eye
How My Facial Hair Only Grows On One Cheek
I Have 7 Wisdom Teeth
I had 7 as well! I had them removed when I was a teenager. My dental surgeon made a joke about how I would have been deád by age 25 if I was born in a time before modern dental surgery XD He said 7 was the most he had personally seen in a person. I opted for full anesthesia and NOT a local during removal surgery XD
My Middle And Ring Finger Are Connected
I Lost My Hair In Spots And It Grew Back White
My Pinky Toe Nails Grow Completely Vertical
How My Vitiligo Changes From The Winter To The Summer
Even Though All The Hair On My Body Is Black, My Mustache And Beard Are Red
Went To The Dentist Today, I Already Have All My Adult Teeth But Turns Out I Have A Bonus Tooth
I could do with some bonus teeth...why can't we be more like sharks? Or at least have a third set that comes through in middle age?
We Call It His Spare Brain
My Crooked Index Finger, Thought I Should Leave It Here
My Left Eye Is About 1/3 Grey
Nevus Spilus Birthmark
The Scar On My Hand, From A Skin Transplant From My Upper Arm, Gets More Tanned Than The Rest
This Patch On My Skin Never Tans/Burns. I’ve Had It Since I Was Born!
My Thumb Nail Has A Ribbed Texture
I Can Twist My Leg Around Completely Backwards
The Only White Hair In My Body Is Growing On My Eyebrow, And It's Pretty Big Compared To The Other Hairs
Ah. I get one of these randomly in my right eyebrow. Long, wispy and thin, like a head hair. Very silver. I do have a gray patch on top my head, but this one long hair that randomly appears, seemingly all at once, bothers me. I actually welcome my gray hairs on my head, but that eyebrow hair, so physically different than usual eyebrow hairs...?? What are you doing there?!! °~°
I Have A Patch On My Leg With An Abnormal Amount Of Hair
My Fingers Turn Pale Sometimes
Husband’s Reaction At The Gym When His Body Temp Goes Up Too Quickly
My Nail Split, Now I Have Two Little Nail Tips
I Can Bend My Toes Back To My Foot
I Have A Giant Birthmark On My Head
My Full Body Allergic Rash “Went Around” All My Tattoos
The Way The Color Is Coming Back On My Burn Wound
Scar Changed How My Thumb Nail Grows
My Friend's Skin Graft After Healing
I Have A Double Uvula
Sometimes My Veins Are Sunken Instead Of Raised
Amelogenesis Imperfecta
My dog Stilgar has this on the few adult teeth that he does have, due to having the distemper virus as a puppy. For some reason, one of the things that the distemper virus "attacks" is tooth enamel. His puppy teeth were normal, but his adult teeth were not. Very few actually "formed" and erupted normally (he has maybe 7-10?) and they all lack enamel. They all looked brown/discolored from the moment they erupted. He also has neurological and mobility issues from distemper, but he survived, he has no idea he is disabled, and he can still eat just fine! Sometimes his tongue flops out of his mouth because he lacks the teeth to hold it in (see photo in comment below.) We do have to keep an eye on his teeth because the lack of enamel makes them more fragile than normal teeth; I imagine OP has to do the same.
