Content
- What is the circulatory system of octopuses like?
- How many hearts does an octopus have?
- Systemic or arterial heart
- gill hearts
- Why does the octopus have 3 hearts?
- How many tentacles does an octopus have?
In the oceans, we find a vast and wonderful biodiversity that has not yet been studied. Within this fascinating diversity, we find animals from the octopoda order, which we popularly know as octopuses. They stand out for their peculiar appearance and have inspired many legends and stories about sea monsters. On the other hand, they also generate scientific interest for the different particularities they have.
Among the peculiar aspects, we find the circulatory system of the octopuses. In the end, how many hearts does an octopus have? Several or just one? Keep reading this PeritoAnimal article to answer your questions.
What is the circulatory system of octopuses like?
Cephalopods, which is the class to which octopuses belong, are considered the most complex group of invertebrates, as although they have common characteristics with the rest of molluscs, they present significant differences that place them in a different range. The evolutionary process provided these animals with particular characteristics that make them a highly competitive group in marine ecosystems.
Despite the presence of a pigment that is not very efficient at using oxygen, thanks to various adaptive strategies, they are able to inhabit from the seabed to areas close to the surface. They are also excellent swimmers, possessing important defense and attack systems, but, in addition, they are very good hunters.
All these advantages could not be developed without the presence of a circulatory system endowed with excellent capabilities. Below, we explain what type of circulatory system octopuses have:
- closed circulatory system: The octopus's circulatory system is closed, which means that the circulating blood is kept inside the blood vessels.
- Elastic blood vessels: Your blood vessels have elasticity, like those of vertebrates, and are contractile.
- high blood pressure: Heart pulses generate important blood pressure gradients, so these animals have high blood pressure. This is mainly due to the fact that they have more than one heart - we'll explain how many hearts an octopus has.
- Blue blood: The respiratory pigment responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood is hemocyanin, which is made of copper and gives the blood of these animals a bluish color. This is dissolved in the blood plasma of the octopuses, not their cells.
- Gills with high oxygen consumption: Octopuses and cephalopods in general have a low oxygen-carrying capacity, an aspect that was resolved with the development of gills with high oxygen consumption and other mechanisms to promote gas exchange.
- Vary the volume of blood in your gills: they have the ability to vary the volume of blood in their gills depending on their oxygen needs at any given time.
- slimy blood: they have viscous blood, because although the water content of blood is high, so is the solid content.
Now that we know more about the circulatory system, let's see how many hearts the octopus has and the reasons behind it.
How many hearts does an octopus have?
The octopus has 3 hearts, being one main and two secondary. The main one is called the systemic or arterial heart and the other two are the branchial hearts. Let's now explain the differences between each of them.
Systemic or arterial heart
This heart is composed of a ventricle, to which the main arteries are connected, and two atria that receive blood from the gills. This heart pumps blood throughout the body and is the organ that distributes the high amounts of blood tissue these animals need.
gill hearts
The two gill hearts are smaller and act as auxiliary pumps, sending blood to the gills, where oxygenation of the blood will occur so that it can then be distributed to the rest of the body, oxygenating it completely.
In the next image we can see where the 3 hearts of the octopus are.
Why does the octopus have 3 hearts?
Despite having several characteristics that make them very advanced animals, octopuses have some unfavorable characteristics for their own species. Such characteristics made them adapt or evolve to optimize their survival in the short period of time they usually have (an octopus lives between three and five years on average, depending on the species). In these circumstances, the presence of the three hearts in the octopus plays a fundamental role. On the one hand, the ability to increase or decrease their blood volume helps them especially when hunting prey or fleeing a predator.
On the other hand, octopuses generally prefer the seabed, which is often lacking oxygen. However, their gills are highly efficient at absorbing what little oxygen there may be, even more than those of fish, allowing them access to prey that other marine animals cannot reach.
To all this, we must add that aquatic animals are subject to a greater pressure than those that inhabit terrestrial ecosystems.
The fact that the octopus has 3 hearts makes its body adapt well to the marine ecosystem and can survive as a species.
Although octopuses are not the only animals with more than one heart, they attract attention due to their peculiar anatomy, but also because scientific studies show more and more singularities of these animals, among which stands out their intelligence.
How many tentacles does an octopus have?
Now that you know how many hearts an octopus has, you might also wonder how many tentacles an octopus has. And the answer is that he has eight tentacles.
In these eight tentacles are powerful and strong suction cups, which are used for an octopus to cling to any surface.
Let's get to know other characteristics of octopuses:
- The octopus can change its physical appearance, as chameleons do, as well as its texture, depending on the environment or predators present.
- she is capable of regenerate your tentacles if they are amputated.
- The octopus' arms are extremely flexible and have infinite motion. To ensure proper control, he moves using stereotyped patterns that reduce his freedom and allow for greater control of his body.
- Each tentacle in the octopus has about 40 million chemical receptors, so each individual is thought to be a large sensory organ.
- There is a relationship between the olfactory receptors in the octopus brain and its reproductive system. They are able to identify the chemical elements that float in the water of other octopuses, even through their suction cups.
And while we're talking about the hearts and tentacles of the octopus, you might be interested in this video about the seven rarest marine animals in the world:
If you want to read more articles similar to How many hearts does an octopus have?, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.