starring Dr. Hal !
DOES A RATTLESNAKE HAVE A BELLY BUTTON?
March 5, 2021 10:00pm
YES, THAT'S JUST THE SORT OF QUESTION we get at Ask Dr. Hal! Does a rattlesnake, a reptile, have an omphalos, or navel, colloquially called a belly button. Well, Dr. H. Owll is among other things a professional question-answerer. [Hence our show's title. --Ed.] And, in consequence, he gets a lot of frivolous questions. Questions not sincerely levied. Snarky, mocking, jesting queries which have no purpose other than to waste the irredeemably precious time of Dr. H. Owll and his audience. But, y'know, the quality of the questions isn't up to us. No, Sir, no Ma'am. It's the quality of the ANSWERS that's our bailiwick. However inane the questions, it's always up to us to come up with a good answer-- and make it entertaining, too, by George. This is our skill and purpose. Well, the most elementary-school Biology class teaches the little nippers that it's Mammals that have navels-- Mammals, who give birth to live offspring. And that button is the scar from where the umbulicus is attached, during gestation and birth. Egg-laying critters are hatched, not born. But folks, here's the thing. Your reptile is also ventrally fed through a sort of umbulicus, a fleshy tube connecting to the amnion, the fluid sac inside the egg that nourishes the embryo. And when that little snakelet comes out of the egg this, ideally, breaks off. It leaves a little scar which can even be found, if one searches, on the adult snake. So, YES, the rattlesnake DOES have a belly button. That's showbiz. If you like that, then HEAR Dr. H, Owll answer questions a-plenty on his upcoming live show, this Sunday, the 14th at 7:00 PM Pacific Standard Time. Don't let that Daylight Saving thing throw you off course. Just go to https://gonzotronics.net/adh/ --and you'll be guided to the show from there. Maybe someday THIS show, the Radio Valencia one, will be offered live again-- new shows, not re-runs. But don't hold your breath.