Scientists found that a blue pigment in Octopods' blood allowed the creature to survive in freezing temperatures.

The ability to provide continuous oxygen supply to their tissues has allowed Octopods to survive in extreme temperatures, ranging from as low as -1 degree Celsius to over 30 degree Celsius. Researcher from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Germany conducted a study to analyze how octopods were able to supply oxygen to tissues even under freezing temperatures.

"Octopods are mainly local non-migratory species that move by crawling and have only short life stages in which they inhabit the water column," Michael Oellermann, author of the study said in a press statement. "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."

They found that a blue pigment present in the octopus' blood allows them to survive in even freezing temperatures. The blue pigment known as hemocyanin is responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood. Researchers found that the Antarctic octopod Pareledone charcoti have a form of hemocyanin that is completely different from that possessed by warmer climate octopods. This form of hemocyanin allowed the species to supply oxygen throughout the blood at extreme temperatures.

The findings of the study were presented at the Society for Experimental Biology meeting on July 5.

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