We've done a lot of weird stories, but this one takes our breath away!  Reported by dailystar, according to a new report in the journal Clinical and Translational Resource and Technology Insights, a group of scientists performed a series of experiments on pigs and mice, based on the slow metabolism of turtles.

This involved scrubbing the intestines of the animals to thin out the mucosal lining- thus reducing the barrier to the bloodstream. They were then placed in a room lacking in oxygen. It is believed that because turtles have such thin linings, they are able to breathe.

According to the report, which does not state where the team of scientists were from: “Control animals that were deprived of respiration and received no intestinal ventilation, died after about 11 minutes.

 “Animals who received intestinal ventilation without the intestinal scrubbing survived almost twice as long, about 18 minutes, indicating that there was some oxygen uptake.

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“Lastly, 75% of those animals who had been scrubbed and received pressurised oxygen into the rectum, survived for an hour, the total length of the experiment. Through their butts – kind of – and are able to survive in the winter. “This seemed to prove that mice and pigs are capable of intestinal respiration under the right conditions.”

The puts a whole new meaning to "take my breath away" doesn't it? Read more on this story by clicking here.