Octopods' Blue Blood Helps them Survive at Different Temperatures

Octopods can survive in temperatures ranging from 1.8°C to more than 30°C due to the presence of hemocyanin in their blood. The pigment, hemocyanin is responsible for Octopods' blue-colored blood, according to a new study.

Octopods have short, compact bodies with eight arms. They are usually benthic or bottom living. They come to the surface of the ocean occasionally. These organisms can be found in tropic, temperate and Polar Regions. In the new study, scientists found how different species of octopods manage to cope with different temperatures.

The study was conducted by researchers Michael Oellermann, Hans Pörtner and Felix Mark at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Germany. They found that octopods had ample oxygen in their bodies due to the presence of hemocyanin in their blood.

Hemocyanin is a protein that helps transport oxygen in many invertebrates. The protein has copper atoms attached to it instead of iron atoms that are found in hemoglobin (which transports oxygen in vertebrates including humans)

For the study, experts analyzed octopods' ability to transport oxygen at low temperatures. The researchers conducted their study on octopods found in Antarctica, temperate regions and tropical regions.

They found that the hemocyanin present in the blood of Pareledone charcoti was different from hemocyanin found in octopods that live in temperate or warm regions, both genetically and functionally.

"Octopods are mainly local non-migratory species that move by crawling and have only short life stages in which they inhabit the water column. They are therefore mostly unable to migrate away from or escape "bad" environmental conditions, which exposes them to higher adaptive pressure to deal with these conditions. Our finding shows a crucial physiological adaption in cold environments that allows octopods to sustain an aerobic life," Michael Oellermann said in a news release.

The study will be presented at the Society for Experimental Biology meeting on July 5.