Mmastodon ScienceScience first seen 10 h ago, last 1 h ago, peak #1

Octopuses avoid swimming because their main heart stops

Original: An octopus has three hearts — and when it swims, the main heart that pumps blood to the body actually stops. That's why

Octopuses have three hearts, and the one that pumps blood to the body stops beating whenever the animal swims, making swimming exhausting. This is why they prefer crawling along the seafloor. People online are sharing the fact alongside another striking detail: octopus blood is blue, thanks to a copper-based protein called hemocyanin that carries oxygen instead of iron-based hemoglobin.

Why now: A surprising and counterintuitive animal fact circulating widely on social media, appealing to people's interest in ocean biology.

octopus

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Evidence

• An octopus has three hearts — and when it swims, the main heart that pumps blood to the body actually stops. That's why they prefer crawling: swimming literally exhausts them. Oh, and their blood is blue. 💙 # science # ocean # biology · eatrics · 10

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