# What bodily quirks/mutations/oddities do you have? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 11, 2014, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104 "2014-02-11T23:54:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/101 "2014-02-14T18:10:49Z")
> [@FightMyIgnorance](#): > > Oh, I thought that stuff was always apocryphal. No way schools made guys undress in front of each other! :o Fraid so. Showers with no stalls. I think the girls had stalls. As if guys don’t care about being naked in front of each other. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/102 "2014-02-14T18:18:12Z")
I have a large space between my big toe and other toes. It runs in my family - they call it “chicken toe” but it’s more commonly called “sandal toe.” photo (of someone else’s feet): [http://1.bp.blogspot.com/\_n5GbaAlpqXA/SLj1PXPZBII/AAAAAAAADl8/u\_h6sc-00wI/s400/003.JPG](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_n5GbaAlpqXA/SLj1PXPZBII/AAAAAAAADl8/u_h6sc-00wI/s400/003.JPG) Strangely enough, this is also common among people with Down syndrome. I have a daughter with Down syndrome who also has it. I don’t know if it’s from the Down syndrome or from me. I also can’t stand wearing flipflops. It’s too much work to scrunch my toes together to keep them on. ---
**Author:** ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/103 "2014-02-14T18:36:27Z")
I can put my tongue behind my soft palette. And not just a little, either. I mean I can put my tongue completely back there, right above my teeth. I can also touch the top of my nose (not the bridge) with my tongue. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/104 "2014-02-14T19:11:04Z")
I’m 5’8", which is 3" taller than the national average for Caucasian women in the US. But my inseam is about 27", which is about 4" short of “regular” inseams on pants. Even petite inseam pants can be too long on me. My torso is freakishly long. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/105 "2014-02-14T19:51:10Z")
> [@Haunted\_Pasta](#): > > I was born with, and still have, a little clump of extra cartilage near the top of my left ear. It makes my ear have a little bump on it. It’s certainly not pointy or anything, but it led to some of my 6th grade friends calling me Spock for a while. The tops of my ears are jagged like someone took a bite out of them and left a point at the end. They curl over so it’s not really noticeable. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/106 "2014-02-14T19:55:35Z")
Just remembered another one: my tongue has scalloped edges like [this](http://www.tcmyellowpage.com/Literature/UploadPic/2012-8/201281421352639901.jpg). So I guess I have some thyroid issues to look forward to, but that’s it so far. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/107 "2014-02-14T20:53:31Z")
I have extra cartilage on one side of my ribcage that makes it bigger and bumpier than the other. My aunt has the same thing. I only have three wisdom teeth, just like my dad. One of my tonsils is vestigial (it’s still technically there, but it’s so tiny it can barely be seen. Other is normal size). My ability to produce the protein filaggrin in my skin is genetically compromised, which means I have a mild form of ichthyosis vulgaris, eczema, and a lot of allergic reactions. It also makes my skin more susceptible to infection. My mother, father and one sister all have similar issues. Left leg is 1/2" than right. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/108 "2014-02-15T02:59:03Z")
A respected orthopedic surgeon, now retired, said I have “very bony knees,” and that I probably had Osgood-Schlatter in my youth. That means I actually am “big-boned,” a popular excuse for extra weight. I’ve had both my natural knees replaced with titanium and plastic, but I still cannot kneel without excruciating pain. I can never become a Catholic. I can move the last joint of both thumbs through 180 degrees of motion. This was a handicap in the factory, because I couldn’t apply straight-thumb pressure on spring clips, as others could. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/109 "2014-02-15T14:47:07Z")
Hypermobility in my fingers, thumbs, and elbows. ---
**Author:** ![Arabella\_Flynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@Arabella\_Flynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arabella_Flynn)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2014, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/110 "2014-02-16T06:30:18Z")
I’m mildly nearsighted, and both eyes take the same prescription. (In contacts – I think the astigmatism correction is off by a few degrees in glasses.) It’s unusual enough to make optometrists blink, but not so weird they won’t sell me an odd number of boxes when I order lenses. I also don’t seem to have a dominant eye. Most people do, and can function with just one contact lens, in a pinch. Their brain can sort of edit out the blur from the uncorrected eye. Mine can’t; they fight, and it’s an altogether unpleasant experience. If I have to take one lens out for some reason, either the other goes with it, or I walk around with my hand over the other eye, like a particularly low-rent pirate. I recently started experimenting with figure skating jumps, what with the Olympics and all. (Curiosity has not killed the cat yet, but I do have a great big bruise on one ankle now. If you’re kicking yourself in the instep, apparently, you’ve almost got it.) 80-90% of figure skaters do all their jumps and spins counterclockwise, I gather because of dominant legs and things like that. I go clockwise, or I can’t sort my feet out. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/111 "2014-02-17T03:32:30Z")
My jaw is 1/8 inch longer one side than the other. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/112 "2014-02-17T04:05:57Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Yeah, I’ve been wondering about this - can everyone do it? I can only pick up some shapes by curling my toes towards the ball of my feet. Is that unique? I’d guess that everyone could, with practice. I like to amaze the cats by picking up their toy mice with my toes and throwing them for them. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/113 "2014-02-17T05:23:22Z")
I’ve developed an unusual reflex: Whenever someone walks past me and runs over my feet, my hand shoots out to grab their shoulder so they don’t fall. This has gotten me an occasional weird look from strangers. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/114 "2014-02-17T21:48:08Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > Left leg is 1/2" than right. longer? shorter? larger? smaller? behinder? fronter? lefter? righter? overer? underer? fatter? skinnier? The suspense is killing me! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/115 "2014-02-17T21:54:07Z")
No, it’s just 1/2 of the right. 1/2 thinner, 1/2 shorter, 1/2 longer, 1/2 fatter… it’s _all_ those! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/116 "2014-02-17T23:01:12Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > longer? > shorter? > larger? > smaller? > behinder? > fronter? > lefter? > righter? > overer? > underer? > fatter? > skinnier? > > The suspense is killing me! 😛 Cooler. Right leg is such a dork. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/117 "2014-02-18T00:55:36Z")
My ribcage is much bigger on my right side than the left. It only causes problems with fitting bras - I’m a 34 on one side and a 36+ on the other. I also seem to have a lot of control over the muscles in my face and head - I can wiggle my ears in different ways, send my eyebrows all over my forehead and mush up my face every which way. My siblings and I communicate by flapping our ears around when we want to be discreet. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/118 "2014-02-18T01:02:00Z")
I’ve also heard that being able to flare your nostrils is supposed to be a rare ability. People talking about it online seem to refer to it involuntarily. Can anyone else do this? ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/119 "2014-02-18T01:12:37Z")
I can flare my nostrils on command and always assumed most people could. 😕 My really cool mutation is that I have extra ribs growing out of my neck. They’re just little stumps so you can’t see them from the outside or anything, but they show up nicely on an x-ray. It’s pretty rare to have one rudimentary cervical rib, and two makes me a real freak. I always knew I was special! ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104/120 "2014-02-18T03:55:55Z")
> [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](#): > > I can flare my nostrils on command and always assumed most people could. 😕 I can flare at will too. I can also move my left ear up and down and “flex” my scalp, making it move. I can make a sound like a baby crying in my throat, and can generally imitate almost all common accents _really_ well. The last one is a bit of a pain though, because sometimes it happens unconsciously when speaking to so some with an accent. Which is embarrassing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bodily-quirks-mutations-oddities-do-you-have/681104.md?page=7)