History Main / BizarreHumanBiology

* ''Film/CrimesOfTheFuture2022'''s protagonist, Saul Tenser, is a performance artist whose body spontaneously grows superfluous internal organs, and whose "performances" revolve around having those organs surgically removed by his partner Caprice. Notably, the process of growing these organs is explicitly shown to be anything ''but'' pleasant for Saul, who relies on technology to help his body eat and sleep with the discomfort.

* ''Film/EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce'': One of the alternate universes Evelyn encounters is one where humans have flimsy hot dogs for fingers and ejaculate ketchup and mustard into each other’s mouths ''from their hot dog fingers''. The technicians guiding Evelyn say she basically went "off the map" when traveling universes, as such a significant change in human evolution would have a PointOfDivergence millions of years ago. (We see a [[Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey 2001]]-inspired flashback where a primitive hominid tribe with hot dog fingers defeats a normal one.)

** ComicBook/DoctorStrange, during the Creator/JasonAaron run, still looks human on the outside, but years of exposure to magic has taken its toll on him. He can no longer eat food that humans normally eat for one thing. Most of what he eats and drinks looks like it's from another dimension (and it probably is). Even worse, it tastes as bad as it looks -- Stephen at one point complains that his meal tastes like ''leprosy''. Still worse, Wong notes that even though that kind of food is the only kind Strange's body can accept, eating it will still eventually kill him. This aspect of the character has been completely [[CanonDiscontinuty ignored]] since Aaron left the title.

** ComicBook/DoctorStrange still looks human on the outside, but years of exposure to magic has taken its toll on him. He can no longer eat food that humans normally eat for one thing. Most of what he eats and drinks looks like it's from another dimension (and it probably is). Even worse, it tastes as bad as it looks -- Stephen at one point complains that his meal tastes like ''leprosy''. Still worse, Wong notes that even though that kind of food is the only kind Strange's body can accept, eating it will still eventually kill him.

* ''Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures'': ''The Blue Angel'' features an AlternateRealityEpisode in which the Doctor is [[AmbiguouslyHuman theoretically human]]. He has two hearts, no navel, and an unusual aversion to the cold. It's probably related to the fact that he's [[HalfHumanHybrid half]]-[[OurMermaidsAreDifferent mermaid]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' has plenty of humans [[{{Cyborg}} who are enhanced with cybernetics to some capacity]], but by far the strangest example is Mauga, who -- as a result of [[WeCanRebuildHim a life-saving emergency surgery]] -- has two hearts, one organic and one cybernetic. This is presumably what allowed him to become [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower the incredibly strong mountain of a man]] without his body completely giving up on him.

* "Literature/MimsyWereTheBorogoves": The anatomical doll from the future, presumably of a [[HumanSubspecies future human]], has different organs compared to a present-day human. This includes a shorter digestive tract, no large intestine or appendix, a difference in the aorta, and a network that goes throughout the body, is attached to the lungs, but is not a circulatory or nervous system.

* Souther ([[SpellMyNameWithAnS or however you want to romanize it]]) in ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' has ''situs invertus totalis'' with dextrocardia, and he's found a way to utilize this quirk as his Emperor's Armour, meaning that Kenshiro's first attempt to defeat him fails utterly. Because [[OrganDodge all of Souther's organs are inverted in his body]], so are the {{pressure point}}s that Kenshiro's Hokuto Shinken style [[TouchOfDeath relies on]]. When Kenshiro learns Souther's secret during their second battle, the Holy Emperor's fate is sealed.

* ''Film/AddamsFamilyValues'': In addition to the weird biology the Addamses have in the series, their second son Pubert [[BeardedBaby is born with a mustache]], and when he gets sick, his hair turns blond.

* Creator/{{Vathara}}: In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3024244/2/Flat-Tire-with-Bad-Guys Flat Tire with Bad Guys]]'', [[spoiler:[[Manga/RurouniKenshin Kenshin]]]] is revealed to have nucleated red blood cells which can take on the function of white blood cells in a pinch. In fact, any cell can take on any function, if need be. They can form new organs wherever and whenever they're needed, as well as [[Series/StargateSG1 Jack O'Neill]]'s antigens. [[spoiler:It's because he's a hanyou, and {{Youkai}}, in the ''Urban Legends'' universe, are a HumanSubspecies created by [[AbusivePrecursors the Ancients]].]]

* ''Film/AddamsFamilyValues'': In addition to the weird biology the Addamses have in the series, their second son Pubert [[BeardedBaby is born with a mustache]] and when he gets sick, his hair turns blond.

** [[SpaceMarine Adeptus]] [[SuperSoldier Astartes]]. [[LongList To wit, they have 19 implanted organs aside from the normal human organs]]: A secondary heart. An organ that [[UnbreakableBones increases bone structure]] and makes their ribcage ''bulletproof''.[[note]]To small arms, anyway.[[/note]] An organ that makes their muscles grow vastly larger and more powerful. An organ that increases their blood's clotting ability. An organ that allows them to [[TheSleepless only need 4 hours of sleep and can go for two weeks without any sleep at all]]. A pre-stomach that can neutralize otherwise poisonous or indigestible foods. An organ that allows them to "[[IngestingKnowledge learn from eating]]".[[note]]Four nerve bundles are implanted connecting the spine and the stomach wall. Able to 'read' or absorb genetic material consumed by the Marine, the omophagea transmits the gained information to the Marine's brain as a set of memories or experiences.[[/note]] A third lung that allows them to breathe in toxic atmospheres and underwater. An implant giving them far-superior vision to humans. An implant that makes them immune to motion sickness and the ability to consciously filter sounds. An implant that allows them to enter a healing coma/suspended animation.[[note]]This can last for a long time; the longest recorded period spent in suspended animation was undertaken by Silas Err of the Dark Angels, who was revived after 567 years.[[/note]] An implant that controls the amount of melanin in their skin.[[note]]It also protects the Marine from other forms of radiation.[[/note]] An organ that quickly filters the Marine's blood, rendering them immune to most poisons.[[note]]This emergency detoxification usually renders the Marine unconscious while his blood is circulated at high speed. The organ's everyday function is to monitor the entire circulatory system and allow other organs to function effectively.[[/note]] An organ that [[SuperSenses enhances a Space Marine's sense of taste]] to such a high degree that he can identify many common chemicals by taste alone, or even track down his target by taste. An implant that allows a Space Marine to sweat a substance that coats the skin and offers resistance to extreme heat and cold and can even provide some protection for the marine in a vacuum. An organ that allows the marine to [[SuperSpit spit a blinding contact poison]], [[PoisonIsCorrosive which is also corrosive and can even burn away strong metals given sufficient time]]. Implants that are the base for the other organs. [[OverlyLongGag And finally]], an implant that allows a Space Marine to [[BrainComputerInterface interface directly with his]] PoweredArmor. Many Black Library writers and ''40K'' characters use the term "posthuman" to refer to Astartes for a reason.

* ''WebVideo/TheNingen'': Ningen (literally translates to “human” from Japanese) are Antarctic creators that are essentially a supernatural sub-species of human, which in turn has different morphologies based upon its stage.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': The sewer mutants are a group of humans that live in the sewer but developed strange genetic quirks (different ones for every individual) due to radioactive waste mixed with the human feces. Among the biological oddities seen in sewer mutants are [[{{Cyclops}} a single eye]], a third arm, green skin, a singing boil, [[WhaleEgg laying eggs]], tentacles, gills, purple hair, and a pig nose.
** [[HumanoidAliens Zoidberg]] views human biology in general to be this way. It’s the main reason why [[ComicallyIneptHealing he’s so incompetent as a doctor]]. However, Zoidberg is actually an excellent doctor when it comes to other aliens, and he knows a lot about BizarreAlienBiology.

** Hank [=McCoy=], the Beast, one explained that his circulatory system is different from the average person's. This was stated by his younger self before his mutation advanced, so presumably this was always true along with his enlarged hands and feet.
** Avenger's villain Whirlwind has higher viscosity in his bodily fluids, compared to motor oils, to survive the rigors of SuperSpeed spinning on his physiology.

* Souther ([[SpellMyNameWithAnS or however you want to romanize it]]) in ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' has ''situs invertus totalis'' with dextrocardia (see '''Real Life''' section below) -- and he's found a way to utilize this quirk as his Emperor's Armour, meaning that Kenshiro's first attempt to defeat him fails utterly. Because [[OrganDodge all of Souther's organs are inverted in his body]], so are the {{pressure point}}s that Kenshiro's Hokuto Shinken style [[TouchOfDeath relies on]]. When Kenshiro learns Souther's secret during their second battle, the Holy Emperor's fate is sealed.

* Souther ([[SpellMyNameWithAnS or however you want to romanize it]]) in ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' has ''situs invertus totalis'' with dextrocardia (see '''Real Life''' section below) -- and he's found a way to utilize this quirk as his Emperor's Armour, meaning that Kenshiro's first attempt to defeat him fails utterly. Because [[OrganDodge all of Souther's organs are inverted in his body]], so are the {{pressure point}}s that Kenshiro's Hokuto Shinken style relies on. When Kenshiro learns Souther's secret during their second battle, the Holy Emperor's fate is sealed.

* ''Literature/KnownSpace'': Humans, like all species descended from the ancient Pak, retain the ancestral ability to transform into beings known as protectors when they eat a specific root and the symbiotic virus within it. Among other things, a mature human (or Pak, or whatever else) protector has a beak formed from their fused gums and lips, skin with the toughness and consistency of leader armor, no sexual organs, a five-lobed brain, and a second heart in their groin.

* In ''Literature/TheBleedingMan'', no one can figure out how the titular character keeps bleeding, or how to stop it.
* The Deathless Kings from ''Literature/CraftSequence'' are undead human skeletons that can still eat, drink, and have sex.
* In ''Literature/DeathStar'', Dr. Divini operates on a human male suffering from appendicitis and finds out that the guy also has ''situs inversus'' -- his appendix is located in the lower left part of his belly instead of the right. Dr. Divini also speculates that Vader had to be encased in a suit with an artificial respirator and artificial limbs because Vader had rare genetic defects that would cause him to reject ''any'' transplanted organs -- including those cloned from his own genetic material.

* In ''Literature/{{Distress}}'', one CrazySurvivalist has loaded himself up with so much BioAugmentation to survive any possible apocalyptic scenario that he doesn't even have DNA in his cells anymore. He can also digest tire rubber in a pinch.
* The ''Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures'' novel ''The Blue Angel'' features an AlternateRealityEpisode in which the Doctor is [[AmbiguouslyHuman theoretically human]]. He has two hearts, no navel, and an unusual aversion to the cold. It's probably related to the fact that he's [[HalfHumanHybrid half]]-[[OurMermaidsAreDifferent mermaid]].
* In the mystery story "The Image in the Mirror" by Creator/DorothyLSayers, a key plot point is that one of the characters has ''situs inversus''.
* In ''Literature/JanitorsOfThePostapocalypse'', a plague swept humanity, killing most people and rendering the remainder into {{Technically Living Zombie}}s called 'feral humans'. Feral humans have syrupy black blood, feel no pain, have much lower body temperatures than pre-plague humans, and are nearly unkilleable. They're ravenous and most interested in warm-blooded prey but will eat anything, including [[NoZombieCannibals each other if they can't find plants]]. After fifty years, the Krakau arrived and started [[UpliftedAnimal uplifting]] individual feral humans. These "cured" humans, recruited into the Krakau military, are intelligent but less so than pre-plague humans, retain mostly feral physiology and durability, and are fitted with ports for feeding tubes because one, the Krakau think that human food is gross and two, there's some risk of reverting to a feral mindset associated with eating by mouth.

* Humans of the planet [[MeaningfulName Covenant]] in ''Literature/{{Oceanic}}'', who are descended from a group of transhumans who have since rejected TheSingularity, are not described in too much detail, but the main feature that is [[LikeRealityUnlessNoted different from actual humanity]] is that the male's penis is apparently detachable, and passes to the female during sex, at which point it is grafted onto the female, and the male grows a vagina.[[note]]One would think this would be a recipe for [=STDs=] and organ rejection to spread like wildfire, but this is never brought up.[[/note]] Unfortunately for the readers, they find this out in the middle of a ''[[FanDisservice sex scene]]''.

** Hank McCoy, the Beast, one explained that his circulatory system is different from the average person's. This was stated by his younger self before his mutation advanced, so presumably this was always true along with his enlarged hands and feet.

* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', the Special Children develop psychic powers, the ability to kill with a touch, and super-strength after being fed demon blood as infants.

* The Sebeceans in ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' are [[spoiler:TransplantedHumans descended from {{Super Soldier}}s who were genetically engineered by aliens long ago]]. They have improved physical strength and eyesight (humans are apparently practically blind by the standards of other races) but fewer redundant organs and an extreme ([[FateWorseThanDeath seriously]]) weakness to high temperatures. Also, their women can delay pregnancy once an egg is fertilized (until such time as it is convenient to grow the baby), and pregnancy is accelerated once it is actually begun.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* [[Music/OzzyOsbourne OZZY, the mutant Prince of Darkness.]] Medical Science had no explanation for why he hadn't drugged himself to death many times over. After a colonoscopy where five times the normal anesthetic failed to knock him out Medical Science decided to investigate. Medical Science found that Ozzy has several genes that allow him to metabolize opiates and alcohol [[ImmuneToDrugs far more efficiently]] than most humans. Caffeine? Not so much! Unfortunately it also made him more susceptible to addiction.
** To a possibly lesser degree, the members of Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}}, especially [[Music/MickJagger Sir Mick]] and Music/KeithRichards.
** Probably the only candidate for a greater degree? [[Music/TheWho Keith Moon]].
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situs_inversus Situs inversus]], especially the ''totalis'' version, is a congenital human condition where the internal organs are in reverse of where they normally are (heart with apex on the right, liver on the left, etc.). Absent any actual congenital defects, such individuals can lead otherwise perfectly normal lives.
** Ironically, it's the ''milder'' versions of this condition that can be life-threatening, such as when a heart that's inverted in an otherwise-normal chest (a condition known as dextrocardia) tries to pump blood into the lungs with its stronger side and to the body with its weaker one, rather than the other way around. When ''everything'' is flipped, there's no such issue, although it can cause some headaches in medical scenarios such as organ transplantation. Because organs aren't chiral (i.e. they don't form a perfect mirror image when flipped), surgeons need to carefully route the blood vessels to make sure that blood isn't going in the wrong direction, as for quite obvious reasons, situs inversus organs aren't exactly easy to come by.
* There are also quite a few other congenital birth disorders, from practically invisible (webbed fingers/toes), mostly harmless (cleft lip/palate, extra finger(s) or toe(s), alopecia (lack of hair)), debilitating (limb deformities), and probably not going to survive for long after birth, if the infant even lasts that long (born ''without most of the brain''). Some people also have pointy ears, pointy teeth, or excess body hair, which makes them look like elves, vampires or werewolves, respectively.
** Less obvious examples would be the ability to see colours that are invisible to most of the population, have a better dark vision, or quirks like being able to keep one's own body temperature at a comfortable point, regardless of outside temperature.
* About 1/400 people has their kidneys fused into a horseshoe-shape, which is mostly asymptomatic. Creator/MelGibson is one notable carrier.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HeLa HeLa]] is an immortal, single-celled organism with 82 chromosomes. It's a culture of cancers cells drawn from a patient ('''He'''nrietta '''La'''cks) in the 1950s, which has continued to undergo cell division and grow, bizarrely unaffected by the Hayflick Limit, and at this point the number of such cells grown has easily surpassed the number of cells in the original donor's body.
* An... ''interesting'' and technically correct description of intercourse popped up in Website/SomethingAwful (a middle-school teacher requested things to make her sex ed class memorable):
-->'''Creator/TonyDanza Claus:''' I really wanna teach a troll sex ed class. But stick to actual facts.\\
\\
"The blood rushes into the penis, which is basically [[GroinAttack an elongated clitoris made of the same erectile tissue of the labia.]] Then the man puts his re-purposed clitoris into the vagina, which is [[NauseaFuel lubricated by mucus, just like snot,]] and after so long the man ejaculates, which means a funny smelling liquid called semen, which comes from a gland in his asshole, [[OrificeInvasion mixes with some worm-like creatures]] and [[OrificeEvacuation then comes out of where he pees.]]"\\
\\
"So sex is basically snot and blood and rear end gravy and worms all thrown into a big sweaty bowl that can result in [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking a baby, which cost on average $28,000 a year]]. Any questions?"
** Anything can become this when you think about it the right way. The mouth for example? It's a hole in your skull lined with exposed bone (teeth), housing a exposed muscle that is detached at one end (tongue) that people touch with their exposed muscle for pleasure (kissing), and used to put various things inside you (food). Common examples are the heated-with-fire muscles of animals (cooked meat), flower heads (broccoli), the ejected and empty "womb" of a bird (eggs), and bug puke (honey).
* [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19298_7-terrifying-things-they-dont-tell-you-about-pregnancy.html 7 Terrifying Things They Don't Tell You About Pregnancy]]
** [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19661_6-real-people-with-mind-blowing-mutant-superpowers.html 6 Real People With Mind Blowing Mutant Superpowers]]: a group of people who, through some random combination of strange physical quirks, have abilities that seem superhuman.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_(genetics) Genetic chimerism]] in humans came to light when two new mothers -- one in Massachusetts, the other in Washington State -- gave birth to children whose initial DNA tests showed that the women's husbands were the biological fathers, but that they were not the biological mothers. Further tests showed that both mothers had two different DNA profiles in different parts of their bodies.
* Wisdom tooth extraction is an experience that is apparently universal to your average teenager or vicenarian. If they aren't getting them removed, then lucky them, they never grew them at all! And then there are those who never had them removed because they had so much room in their mouths that the wisdom teeth were able to grow in and settle in as happy and comfortably as any of the other teeth they grew. Some even have ''more than'' one set of wisdom teeth in there.
* PlayedWith in the case of double-jointed people. They are not actually an example of this, but they sure do look like it when bending their limbs in odd directions.
** Some people who are double-jointed, less than 30%, also have issues with depressants (pain killers, anaesthesia etc.). This can take many forms but common ones are higher tolerances, increased rates of metabolism and even immunities.
* A [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernumerary_nipple supernumerary nipple]] is a third nipple that grows on the human body, with a rate of about 1 out of 18 males and 1 out of 50 females. They typically appear on the "milk line" of the human body, but have been known to develop as far away from the chest as a person's foot, and depending on the type are frequently mistaken for moles. Notable people who have supernumerary nipples include Music/LilyAllen, Creator/MarkWahlberg, and Creator/ZacEfron.
* Michael Lotito was famous for [[ExtremeOmnivore eating objects]] such as metal, glass, televisions, a bicycle, shopping carts, a coffin, and, over the course of two years, ''an entire Cessna 150.'' He also drank large amounts of mineral oil to help wash these things down. He didn't suffer any kind of health problems from his diet, although he did mention bananas and hard-boiled eggs made him sick.
* Synesthesia is likely another example (likely because science isn't completely sure what causes it, but it's probably biological). It's a sensory condition where two or more senses are connected, causing synesthetes to see sound, or taste words when they speak, for example. As it's something you need to be born with, many synesthetes [[IThoughtEveryoneCouldDoThat don't realize that most people don't experience the world the way they do]] until they're older.
* In some people, hyperactivity can provide them with a seemingly superhuman level of energy as well as mildly retarding the visible signs of aging.
* According to Lemmy of Motörhead fame he was told that due to his lifestyle his blood was too toxic to be given to other people, and conversely regular blood would be toxic to him. Considering that he drank a bottle of Jack Daniels every day on top of being a pack a day smoker and his diet consisting mainly of meat and cheese, it's a minor miracle it was even considered blood in the first place.
* UsefulNotes/{{Tarrare}}, an infamously bizarre Frenchman from the late 1700s. HorrorHunger was barely the start of whatever his deal was.
[[/folder]]

* Humans of the planet [[MeaningfulName Covenant]] in ''Literature/{{Oceanic}}'', who are descended from a group of transhumans who have since rejected TheSingularity, are not described in too much detail, but the main feature that is [[LikeRealityUnlessNoted different from actual humanity]] is that the male's penis is apparently detachable, and passes to the female during sex, at which point it is grafted onto the female, and the male grows a vagina.[[note]]One would think this would be a recipe for [=STDs=] and organ rejection to spread like wildfire, but this is never brought up.[[/note]] Unfortunately for the readers, they find this out in the middle of a ''[[FanDisservice sex scene]]'', with almost no forewarning, landing the characters straight into the UncannyValley.