Have you ever seen a creature with eight limbs? If yes, then definitely an image of octopus must’ve come into your head, octopuses are actually very cool animals, but with a very different body structure, and physiological structure. Have you also wondered how many hearts does an octopus have? If yes then this article is for you-
How Many Hearts Does an Octopus Have?
An octopus has three hearts. Yes, you read that correctly—three hearts! This is very unusual because most animals, including humans, have only one heart. So why do octopuses need three? Let’s take a look at the role of each heart in the octopus’s body.
The Three Hearts of an Octopus
So the answer to your question of how many hearts does an octopus have is that there are two branchial hearts. These two hearts pump blood through gills which are the organs where an octopus breathes underwater. That is where it takes the oxygen from the water. Thus, the function of the branchial hearts is ensuring the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the gills, so that oxygen goes to breathe to the octopus.
One Systemic Heart The third heart is the systemic heart. This heart circulates blood to the remaining body parts of the octopus, such as the brain and muscles. Once the blood has been oxygenated by the branchial hearts in the gills, the systemic heart then pumps it around the body.
Why would an octopus require three hearts?
Why an octopus has three hearts when it could do with just one is a very reasonable question. That is because octopuses are very active creatures. They require a lot of oxygen to sustain their movement and hunting activities. The branchial hearts ensure constant supply of blood to the gills so that oxygen absorbed from the water could be constantly present in the circulatory system.
Octopuses swim, crawl, and explore using their arms. This is very energy-consuming. The systemic heart ensures that oxygenated blood reaches the muscles that assist the octopus in moving and performing all its activities.
The blood of an octopus is cold-blooded and blue. They use a special molecule called hemocyanin in carrying oxygen. Hemocyanin works efficiently in cold water but needs more effort to carry oxygen than the hemoglobin in human blood. The three hearts help meet the high needs of an octopus for oxygen.
What Happens When an Octopus Swims?
When an octopus swims, something interesting happens: the systemic heart actually stops beating. This means that when an octopus swims, the blood flow to the body slows down. This is why octopuses prefer to crawl on the ocean floor rather than swim long distances. Swimming is more tiring for them because their blood circulation isn’t as effective when they’re moving through the water.
What Happens to an Octopus’s Hearts When It Dies?
Just about the time it dies, this octopus dies with its branchial hearts quitting first, sometimes followed by an abrupt cessation by the systemic heart. Since there is no branchial heart of the octopuses that functions to pump this blood to and through the gills, gills will consequently not get an adequate supply of oxygen, ceasing the animal into a state where it stops.
Do All Octopuses Possess Three Hearts?
Yes, all the octopuses have three hearts! This is a common characteristic among the over 300 species of octopuses. They are either the small ones which live in the shallow waters or the giant ones in the ocean deep down and they all possess the same kind of heart.
Fun Facts About Octopus Hearts
Blue Blood: Octopus blood is blue because they use a copper-based molecule in order to carry oxygen. Hemocyanin works better in cold water, which is why octopuses, who live in the ocean, have this unique blood.
It has some amazing intelligence; octopuses can solve some problems, use some tools, even escape from the tank, and the fact that the octopus gets the oxygen in their hearts gives some support to that intelligence.
Short Lifespan: Octopuses usually have short lifespan usually only lasting for 1 to 3 years, depending on the species. For a short period, their hearts help them remain active and hunt for food.
How Do Octopus Hearts Compare to Other Animals?
Most animals, including humans, have only one heart. However, there are some other animals that have more than one heart. For instance, the squid also has three hearts, just like an octopus. But most of the animals have a single heart.
Another comparison that is interesting would be that of a fish. A fish has one heart, but its heart pumps blood to the gills first, just like the branchial hearts of an octopus. But what they don’t have is the extra hearts that the octopuses possess.
Fun Facts about octopuses
Such creatures as octopuses are incredibly fascinating, their peculiar abilities and remarkable characteristics. The most interesting thing might be the color of their blood: blue. All the majority of animals have red blood because it is based on iron. In the case of octopuses, however, the whole process of oxygen transport in the body is done by a copper-based molecule called hemocyanin. Because copper acts better in the cold, low-oxygen environment deep ocean waters consist of, octopuses use hemocyanin instead of hemoglobin. Hemocyanin is more efficient under those conditions and will make it easier for octopuses to live in their colder underwater home. The blue blood allows them to perform their energy-demanding activities – hunting, hiding, or escaping from predators – for survival.
Octopuses have specialized organs for breathing, called gills. Gills are responsible for extracting oxygen from the water as it flows over them. Octopuses have two gills, and they use them to breathe in the oxygen-rich water around them. However, octopuses also have a unique ability to breathe by expelling water through a tube-like structure called a siphon. This helps them swim efficiently as well as avoid predators; they can quickly shoot water out of their siphon to jet away from danger. It also helps them force water through the siphon in order to swim backwards or dart rapidly through the ocean to escape threats. This breathing system also allows them to survive in various underwater environments, that is, in a crevice, swimming freely, or hunting.
How do octopuses behave?
Another amazing feature of their behavior is how the octopuses move. They are highly flexible and swim with a range of methods. One of their famous abilities is the ability to swim backward; they use the siphon for this with the forcing out of water from the siphon that thrusts them back into the opposite direction. This movement is fast and fluid, helping them evade predators or quickly reach a safe place. Besides swimming, octopuses are also master crawlers. They can crawl along the bottom of the ocean, using their eight flexible arms to grip and crawl over rocks and corals. Each of these arms has suction cups so that they could hold onto the surface with a strength that could be considered fantastic. This crawling ability is particularly useful when they are hunting or searching for shelter. The octopus is also capable of “walking” on land, although this is a much more difficult process for them. They move and explore by using their arms on land, but they have to remain moist so as not to dry out.
Unique abilities of an octopus
The most incredible abilities of the octopuses include the change in color. This is made possible by specialized cells in their skin called chromatophores, which contain pigments that can expand or contract. By adjusting the size of these cells, octopuses can create a wide range of colors and patterns on their bodies. They can change their color for many reasons, including communication, camouflage, and emotion. For example, when an octopus is scared, it may turn white, signaling that it feels threatened. On the contrary, if an octopus gets angry or upset, it may turn bright red. Color changes of this kind are of an extremely fast nature and can assist an octopus to become one with its surroundings, hiding from predators or sneaking up on prey. The ability to change color is a powerful survival tool, and it helps octopuses in both social interactions and avoiding danger.
Are they intelligent?
They also are very intelligent in the sense that they are considered one of the most intelligent invertebrates. Their intelligence is often compared to vertebrates. In general, these animals have large brains relative to their body size. They are capable of learning, problem-solving, and even using tools. Many studies have proven that octopuses can navigate mazes, open jars to access food, and recognize individual humans. Their problem-solving abilities are quite remarkable, as they can learn from observation and experience. Some of them have been found to even use coconut shells and other things as tools to serve as a form of shelter or protection. This level of intelligence helps them survive in very complex underwater environments, where they need to outsmart predators, find food, and navigate very difficult terrain. Their ability to think, adapt, and interact with their surroundings makes octopuses one of the most interesting species to scientists and marine biologists.
The real wonders are indeed octopuses. From the blue blood of the creatures, the unusual system of respiration, unique method of locomotion, the capability to change colors, and intelligence, it all makes an octopus an unusual creature in the animal kingdom. They are remarkable not only in their physical aspect but also in their behavior and cognitive powers, which scientists find astonishing. Whether they hide in the deep sea, explore the ocean floor, or use their brains to solve complex problems, octopuses remain one of the most fascinating creatures on Earth.
Conclusion
So now you know the answer to the question of how many hearts does an octopus have, which is: An octopus possesses three hearts; two of these are branchial hearts and one is the systemic heart. Branchial hearts pump blood to the gills for respiration purposes of the octopus, and systemic heart pumps the oxygenated blood to other body parts. That is how three hearts are a significant factor in maintaining the octopus in the healthy and active state of living in the ocean. They form what makes the octopus such an excellent creature in the ocean.
