Octopus heart count

It's named after an octopus trap — and that's not all that's unusual about broken-heart syndrome. It occurs almost exclusively in women. Years of gender-based research have shown that in matters of the heart, sex differences abound. One striking example is the temporary heart condition known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as broken-heart syndrome, first described in 1990 in Japan. More than 90% of reported cases are in women ages 58 to 75. Research suggests that up to 5% of women suspected of having a Features of takotsubo cardiomyopathy • • Electrocardiogram abnormalities that mimic those of a heart attack • No evidence of coronary artery obstruction • Movement abnormalities in the left ventricle • Ballooning of the left ventricle • Recovery within a month What is it? Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a weakening of the left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber, usually as the result of severe emotional or physical stress, such as a sudden illness, the loss of a loved one, a serious accident, or a natural disaster such as an earthquake. (For additional examples, see "Stressors associated with takotsubo cardiomyopathy.") That's why the condition is also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy, or broken-heart syndrome. The main symptoms are chest pain and shortness of breath. Stressors associated with takotsubo cardiomyopathy* • Sudden drop in blood pressure • Serious illness, surgery, or medical procedure (e.g., cardiac stress test) • Severe pain • Domestic violenc...

Dear Marko, It’s hard to say exactly what would happen if you had three hearts and one of them stopped. Humans, and cats, have just one heart, so we have no experience with this. Octopuses, on the other hand, do have three hearts. When I called my friend Kirt Onthank, a professor at Walla Walla University who studies how octopus bodies work, he told me all about the three hearts. Before becoming a professor, he also studied biology here at Washington State University. Onthank says the answer to your question depends on which of an octopus’s three hearts stops working. Octopuses have two types of hearts. Two of them are called branchial hearts and one is called a systemic heart. Each branchial heart sits right next to each of the octopus’s gills. The branchial heart pumps blood through the gills and after the blood leaves the gills, the single systemic heart pumps it to the rest of the body. “The branchial hearts kind of work like the right side of your heart, pumping blood to the lungs, and the systemic heart works like the left side of your heart, pumping blood to the rest of the body,” Onthank says. If one of the branchial hearts failed, the octopus would probably be okay. Of course, it wouldn’t be able to use the gill next to it anymore. Just as humans can live with one lung, octopuses can live with one gill. “In fact, an octopus with one gill is likely better off than a human with one lung,” Onthank said, That’s because, unlike humans, octopuses can also breathe throug...

Octopuses have three hearts: two branchial hearts and one central heart. The branchial hearts are located near their gills and the central heart is located at the back of their mantles. The branchial hearts pump blood through their gills and the central pumps blood to the body. Octopuses are one of the most fascinating creatures in the ocean. Their silhouette is instantly recognizable and many marine life lovers are fascinated by these eight-legged animals. But as famous as they are, there are many mysteries about them and their anatomy. Questions regarding octopus hearts are especially common: • How many hearts do octopuses have? • What do octopus hearts look like? • How do octopus hearts work? This article uncovers the facts and workings of octopuses’ hearts, including their location, function, and types. How Many Hearts Do Octopuses Have? Octopuses have three hearts: two near their gills and one at the back of their mantle. Their main function is to circulate blood in the octopus’ body. A uniqueness of cephalopods (“cephalo” referring to head, “pod” referring to feet), including octopuses, is their closed circulatory system. This means that their blood is transported in a closed system of blood vessels (humans also have a closed circulatory system). All other mollusks have open circulation systems, meaning their organs are submerged in blood inside their body. [1] The three hearts of the octopus pumps blood through blood vessels. This makes blood travel farther, in larg...

Often considered the smartest invertebrates (animals without backbones) on the planet, octopuses can use tools, unscrew jar lids and tightly control their body color to match their surroundings. They use this sharp intelligence especially in situations of survival —including when they are trying to avoid getting eaten by their hungry mates. Octopus, and at least another 150 species in other genera, said Jennifer Mather, a cephalopod expert at the University of Lethbridge in Canada. Scientists have witnessed the mating behavior of only about a dozen species, she added. The marine animals have very short lives, generally lasting only a few years long and sometimes as short as 6 months. They spend their youth alone, eating and growing before reaching sexual maturity. [ It's unclear how mature male and female octopuses find each other in the vast ocean. Males appear to devote a lot time searching for mates, while females typically become less active in adulthood and possibly draw males to them using chemical cues. Because they're solitary animals, octopuses aren't exactly picky with their mates. "Females don't usually refuse males," Mather said. However, that's not to say the clever cephalopods have no courtship rituals to entice potential mates. Male common octopuses ( Octopus Vulgaris), for instance, are known to rear up and display several large suckers on the underside of their tentacles to identify themselves as male, but only if approaching a larger female, which A male ...

It turns out that an octopus has three hearts, Kirt Onthank, an octopus biologist at Walla Walla University in Washington, told Live Science. The same holds true for their closest relatives, squid and cuttlefish. The octopuses' largest heart, the systemic heart, is located in the middle of the mollusk's body. It pumps oxygenated blood around the body, but not to the gills. "It is the largest and most muscular of the three hearts," Onthank said. The other two hearts are called the branchial hearts, each of which is attached to one of the octopus's two gills, "so they are often called the 'gill hearts,'" Onthank said. Each branchial heart's job is to pump blood through the gill it is attached to. "These hearts are relatively small and not especially strong," Onthank said. Related: How do octopuses change color? So why does an octopus need three hearts? "The same reason that humans and other mammals need four chambers in their hearts — solving the problem of low blood pressure," Onthank explained. Animals need enough blood pressure to deliver blood throughout their bodies effectively. If a person suffers from low blood pressure, "they can get lightheaded or even pass out if they stand up too fast or exert themselves," Onthank noted. "This is because the low pressure isn't sufficient to deliver blood to the brain." Octopus gills help draw in vital oxygen from the water, and the branchial hearts help pump oxygen-poor blood through the gills. However, the oxygen-rich blood that ...

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