Question #151651. Asked by
BigTriviaDawg.
Last updated Aug 23 2024.
Originally posted Aug 23 2024 8:02 PM.
...the bizarre Antarctic blackfin icefish, which swim in the brutally cold waters off the coast of the southernmost continent. The icefish of the Channichthyidae family are unusual in several ways-they lack scales and have transparent bones, for example-but what stands out most is their so-called white blood, which is unique among vertebrates. These fish are the only ones known to have neither red blood cells nor hemoglobin pigments for transporting oxygen. Oxygen simply diffuses into their circulating blood plasma from the frigid seawater by way of the fish's enlarged gills and smooth skin.https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/icefish-study-adds-another-color-to-the-story-of-blood/
Icefishes, also called white-blooded fishes, are a unique family in that they are the only known vertebrates to lack haemoglobin, making their blood oxygen carrying capacity just 10% that of other teleosts. Icefishes have translucent blood and creamy white gills.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackfin_icefish
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