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An Octopus's systemic Heart stops beating whenever it swi... | funfact.wiki | funfact.wiki
An Octopus's systemic Heart stops beating whenever it swims. Because the heart that drives blood through the whole body pauses during each jet, octopuses tire fast in open water. That's why many prefer to crawl along the seafloor instead of swimming long distances.
  • Octopus
  • Heart
  • Ocean
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Submerging your face in cold water triggers the "diving reflex." Heart rate drops 10-25% and blood flow shifts to protect the brain and heart. This ancient mammalian reflex is especially strong in babies under six months.
  • Human body
  • Mammal
  • Ocean
  • Evolution
  • Submersion
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The Octopus has three hearts. Two branchial hearts each push blood through one of its two gills to load it with oxygen, while a third systemic heart circulates the oxygen-rich blood through the rest of the body. The trio is thought to make up for the low efficiency of its blue blood.
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The Octopus's blood is blue, not red. Human blood is red because the iron-based protein Hemoglobin carries its oxygen; in octopuses that job falls to Hemocyanin, a Copper-based protein. Hemocyanin turns blue when it binds oxygen, and carries it better in the cold, low-oxygen sea.
  • Octopus
  • Hemoglobin
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In 2009, a veined octopus was observed carrying coconut shells and using them as shelter—the first documented tool use by an invertebrate. Octopuses can also solve puzzles, open jars, escape aquariums, and learn by watching other octopuses.
  • Octopus
  • Invertebrate
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Diving deep into the ocean causes symptoms like alcohol intoxication — the "martini effect." Every 15 meters of depth supposedly equals one martini. Rising water pressure dissolves more nitrogen into the blood, producing a narcotic effect on the nervous system.
  • Ocean
  • Diving
  • Submersion
  • Martini
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