{"id":10,"date":"2026-10-08T22:59:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T22:59:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gonzo.cc\/index.php\/finds\/octopus-hearts\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T22:59:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T22:59:30","slug":"octopus-hearts","status":"publish","type":"gonzo_find","link":"https:\/\/gonzo.cc\/index.php\/finds\/octopus-hearts\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Does an Octopus Have Three Hearts?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>An octopus has two branchial hearts that pump blood through its gills, where oxygen is picked up. Its third, systemic heart sends oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body.<\/p>\n<p>Octopus blood uses a copper-containing protein called hemocyanin to transport oxygen. It can be especially effective in cold, low-oxygen environments, and makes their blood appear blue.<\/p>\n<p>The systemic heart slows dramatically or may temporarily stop when the octopus swims. That helps explain why octopuses often prefer crawling along the sea floor.<\/p>\n<h2>Quick curiosities<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Two hearts serve the gills.<\/li>\n<li>One heart serves the rest of the body.<\/li>\n<li>Their oxygen-carrying blood pigment is copper-based.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Keep wondering<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>What is the smartest thing an octopus can do?<\/li>\n<li>Which animals have unusual hearts?<\/li>\n<li>Why is octopus blood blue?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One heart for the body, two for the gills. Nature really went all in on the plumbing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","gonzo_topic":[2],"class_list":["post-10","gonzo_find","type-gonzo_find","status-publish","hentry","gonzo_topic-wild-nature"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Does an Octopus Have Three Hearts? - Gonzo.cc<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gonzo.cc\/index.php\/finds\/octopus-hearts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Does an Octopus Have Three Hearts? - Gonzo.cc\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One heart for the body, two for the gills. 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