To help pump their oxygen-rich blue blood, octopuses have ____.
Octopuses are truly "alien" creatures of the sea with a biological makeup unlike almost any other animal on Earth.
The Hearts:
💓 Two hearts work exclusively to pump blood to the gills.
❤️ A third, larger heart pumps oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.
The Blood:
🧪 Their blood is blue because it uses a copper-based protein called hemocyanin to carry oxygen, which is more efficient than iron in cold, low-oxygen environments.
🛑 Interestingly, when an octopus swims, the systemic heart stops beating, which is why they prefer crawling over swimming to avoid exhaustion.