Quck answer
There are several animals whose blood isn’t red. Here are five examples:
1. Octopus – Their blood is blue because it contains a copper-based protein called hemocyanin.
2. Spiders – Their blood is blue or green because it contains a copper-based protein called hemocyanin.
3. Squid – Their blood is blue because it contains a copper-based protein called hemocyanin.
4. Horseshoe crabs – Their blood is blue because it contains a copper-based protein called hemocyanin.
5. Vampire bats – Their blood is not red because they feed on the blood of other animals, which changes the color of their own blood. It becomes more transparent and lighter in color.
Animal Facts
Although red is the most common color for blood, several animals have different colored blood. For instance, the blood of an octopus appears blue. This article highlights some of the animals with non-red blood.
Red is a powerful color. It is the most frequently used color in national flags worldwide, and wearing red clothing can boost a person’s confidence. However, research suggests that looking at red things can make us feel pain more intensely. Despite this, Homo sapiens is not unique in having red blood. Most vertebrate animals, from timber wolves to tiger sharks, also have crimson blood, which is created by hemoglobin, a protein that helps distribute oxygen in the blood.
Human blood contains three types of cells: white blood cells, platelets, and red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen and carbon dioxide and get their crimson color from hemoglobin, which contains iron atoms. However, some animals have evolved to have different colored blood, with blue-blooded invertebrates, reptiles with green blood, and fish with transparent blood all existing in nature.
5: New Guinea’s Green-blooded Skinks
The skinks from New Guinea have lime green blood due to the high concentration of biliverdin, a green bile pigment that is produced when hemoglobin-rich red blood cells break down. Although biliverdin can harm cells, neurons, and DNA in most vertebrates, the lizards have a higher concentration of biliverdin than humans and are not affected by it. As a result, their blood appears green, despite containing hemoglobin. A recent genetic survey of 51 skinks found that the six green-blooded New Guinea species evolved their green-bloodedness independently from their red-blooded ancestors.
The reason for the evolution of green blood in certain lizard species is still unknown, but it is clear that it must offer some kind of advantage since it has developed multiple times. Although predators who consume these lizards do not suffer any adverse effects and they are not better camouflaged than their counterparts, it is possible that their ancestors used this unique blood to kill parasites. However, more research is needed to confirm or refute this theory.
4: Crocodile Icefish
The crocodile icefish, which live in the frigid ocean waters surrounding Antarctica, are built to thrive in conditions that would be fatal to most other vertebrates. Unlike other animals with backbones, the crocodile icefish does not have any red blood cells or hemoglobin. In extremely cold water, red blood cells become a liability as they thicken and are difficult to circulate. Because of this, fish that live in cold waters have fewer red blood cells than those that live in warmer waters. The crocodile icefish takes this to the extreme by not having any red blood cells at all. To get oxygen throughout their bodies, they absorb it directly from the ocean, which is naturally rich in oxygen because of the cold temperature. The blood of the crocodile icefish is a colorless liquid, which was a surprising discovery when biologist Ditlef Rustad dissected one in 1928. The oxygen in the cold water is so abundant that it doesn’t need to be carried by red blood cells, but rather travels through the fish’s plasma, which is free of hemoglobin.
3: Octopuses
While hemoglobin is an essential component in the circulatory system of almost all vertebrates, many invertebrates utilize hemocyanin, an alternative protein that contains copper instead of iron. Hemocyanin and hemoglobin are both capable of binding and transporting oxygen, but when hemocyanin-rich blood becomes oxygenated, it turns blue because of the copper. Hemocyanin is used by many invertebrates, including crustaceans, spiders, scorpions, and certain mollusks like octopuses. Octopuses have bluish blood that is pumped by three hearts.
In deep-sea environments with low oxygen levels, octopuses use hemocyanin instead of hemoglobin to transport oxygen in their veins. Hemocyanin, a copper-laden protein, also helps these creatures regulate the salt content of their blood to match the surrounding water. However, octopuses struggle to adapt to changes in water acidity, as even a slight adjustment can weaken hemocyanin’s ability to bind with oxygen in their bloodstream, potentially leading to fatal consequences.
Meanwhile, horseshoe crabs, which have blue blood filled with hemocyanin like octopuses, do not have white blood cells. Instead, they have amoebocytes that release coagulogen, a gel that rapidly encases bacteria, to fight off disease-carrying microorganisms. As a result, horseshoe crab blood is used to test experimental intravenous drugs for contamination. Laboratories harvest these crabs for blood samples, and those that survive are released back into the ocean.
Brachiopods are ocean-dwelling animals with two articulated shells that filter tiny food particles out of the water. Unlike octopuses and horseshoe crabs, they do not rely on hemoglobin or hemocyanin to transport oxygen in their blood. Instead, they use hemerythrin, a pigmented protein that contains iron atoms arranged differently from hemoglobin. Deoxygenated blood looks colorless or faintly yellow, but as it begins to take on oxygen, it turns a violet-to-pinkish hue.
In Sipuncula marine worms, also known as “peanut worms,” you can find blood of a similar type. These segmented creatures can be found in various locations, such as sand, mud, crevices, and empty shells. Other marine worms have different circulatory systems. If you were to spot a live polychaete while diving, it might look like a sentient feather-duster due to its bristles and tentacles. Some of these worms have red blood, while others have green blood, which is due to the use of chlorochurion instead of hemoglobin. New Guinea skinks are not the only creatures with green blood. The original publication date of this information was May 24, 2018.
The Different Color Blood FAQ section answers various questions about animals with different colored blood. Some animals have blue blood, which occurs when their blood contains high levels of copper. Peanut worms have purple blood because of hemerythrin. Spiders, lizards, and marine animals have blue, green, or purple blood depending on the proteins in their bodies. Octopuses have blue blood due to their copper-based blood called hemocyanin. It is a common misconception that octopus blood is black, but brachiopods have black blood instead.
FAQ
1. What animals have blue blood?
Some species of crustaceans, such as horseshoe crabs, have blue blood due to the presence of copper instead of iron in their blood cells. The copper-based pigment, called hemocyanin, gives the blood a blue color when oxygenated.
2. Why do some animals have green blood?
Green-blooded lizards, such as the New Guinea skink, have high levels of biliverdin in their blood. Biliverdin is a green pigment that comes from the breakdown of heme, a component of hemoglobin. The evolutionary reason for this adaptation is still unknown.
3. What animals have yellow blood?
Some species of worms, including the marine worm Urechis caupo, have yellow blood due to the presence of a protein called hemerythrin. Hemerythrin contains iron and is responsible for oxygen transport in the blood.
4. Do any animals have purple blood?
Yes, some species of sea squirts, a type of marine invertebrate, have purple blood due to the presence of vanadium in their blood cells. Vanadium is a metal and is used in place of iron or copper in some organisms for oxygen transport.
5. What animals have clear blood?
The icefish, a family of fish found in the Southern Ocean, have clear blood due to the complete lack of hemoglobin. Instead, they rely on dissolved oxygen in their blood plasma for oxygen transport.
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