Do fish gills count for anything here?
I know of several humans who have holes in their anatomy through which they wear jewelry/adornments.
Borderline, I’d say (noted in my final paragraph in the opening post) - in some cases, I suppose a direct line of sight is possible through the fish’s mouth and out of one of the gill slits.
Yep. And some of them even pack guns.
Sure, but humans aren’t born with, and don’t naturally develop piercings
I know they’re not perforate, but they are see-through!
There are also a number of glass fish.
BTW, sand dollar urchins are indeed perforate. The entire body is covered by short spines. From between the spines the animal can extend tubular tentacles. These tentacles provide for locomotion. They also allow the animal to bury itself in the sand by literally carrying sand grains from below the body and passing them “tentacle over tentacle” to the upper side. This process is operative, not just up and around the circumference, but up through the “keyholes” as well. It’s fascinating to watch. The animal seems to simply melt into the substrate.
I can’t think of any other perforate animals just now-- but I’m only on my second cup of coffee.
True, I just thougt they were cool pictures.
Then how about animals where an opening is covered by a thin membrane? In pelicans, for instance,the bottom of their beaks is open and all the food would fall out if it wasn’t for the skin of their chins that doubles as a sac under the beak.
Are there any jellyfish that are tube or torus shaped ? They seem a possible candidate.
As for non-animals, there are fungi that have ring shaped extrusions that they use to catch and crush microscopic worms; those have holes of course.
Doesn’t the nose kinda screw that up?
And the ears; IIRC they have exits in the throat.
Well, great. Where were you guys fifteen years ago, when I could have brought all this up to appear sharp-witted?
Great suggestion! The comb jellies are some of the most morphologically complex soft bodied creatures, as seen here.
Lots of candidates, especially if we expand to that “thin membrane” definition.
Then of course there are the sea fans and other soft corals. Certainly quite perforate, although admittedly these are colonial organisms and not singletons.
I’m reluctant to expand the scope to holes covered with thin membranes, because they’re not holes.
Sponges and corals are good candidates though.
When I hold my leopard gecko in my hand, I can see light through his head. There is a small hole, where his ear should be, and while it is covered with a thin membrane it is apparent it’s much thinner than the rest of his skin and very fragile.
I always say he’s empty-headed. 
The eardrum is a robust multi-layer membrane that normally completely separates the outer and middle ear, though. So the Eustacian tube and middle ear are topologically and embryologically outpouchings from the throat. It is possible to have a chronic perforation of the eardrum, but this is pathological.
The tear ducts, OTOH, do run from the inside corner of the eye to the inside of the nose. And the nasal septum complicates the ‘nosehole’ a bit.
If those count, then colostomies and ileostomies as well.
Going back to the sand dollar for a moment - does anyone know - do those holes develop through the fusion of something like the tips of broad, flat starfish arms, or do they appear as perforations through otherwise intact tissue?
A number of birds, including Turkey Vultures, lack nasal septa and have what are called perforate nostrils, shown here. You can see straight through them.
Good work, Colibri! This question has been driving me a bit nuts all day.
What about sponges? According to wikipedia, they’re technically animals, and they’ve got holes through them. Here is one you can see light coming through; here is the same photo, but I’ve circled where you can see light coming through it. (You may all bow down to my mad Photoshop skillz.)
