FAQ
A contribution of The Cephalopod Page
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I've been reading your Cephalopod page and enjoying it. Can you tell me why the octopus has three (3) hearts? What is their purpose and how do they work in concert? Thank you, Candace Pearson |
| Answer: |
| Candace, Each gill has its own heart to pump blood through the gills. Blood picks up oxygen in the gills, but after going through all those tiny little capillaries, it loses its pressure. The third heart then pumps the oxygenated blood to the tissues all over the body. We mammals do this with one heart. One side pumps blood to our lungs where it picks up oxygen, it then returns to the other side which pumps blood out to the tissues. Dr. James Wood |