Do Arctic Fish Have Antifreeze In Their Blood?
Yes, these crazy fish have antifreeze running through their veins. What’s more impressive is it’s supposedly up to 300 times more effective. Then that of your car antifreeze!.
This process has also been researched and found to be very effective for the food industry. In keeping food frozen and stopping contamination.
Believe it or not, this antifreeze is also being looked at medically too. As it has been proven to stop the growth of crystals in kidney gout and gall stones.
Not to mention cryopreservation of organs!. The basics of freezing and the transporting of vital organs for surgery etc.
There’s also talk of these anti-freezing properties helping plants amazing really.
Can a Fish Freeze To Death?
Of course Yes fish can freeze to death. Fish even cold water fish need to be kept at around 20 degrees c and water freezes at around minus 20 degrees c. That’s a lot of scope of some 40 degrees even our Icefish arctic cod or polar fish as it’s known will go to around minus 10c at best before freezing luckily for them the water stays around minus 3 all year round!.
How Ice Fish Differ From All Other Fish?
Ice fish do differ in a few ways. Yes, they have an amazing ability, to say the least. Making your blood antifreeze is genius but they also have transparent bones and no scales.
This being said they process another trick up their sleeves they have no red blood cells that’s right their blood is almost see-thru too!.
Red cells carry oxygen around the body but cold water has way more oxygen so you see this fish doesn’t need red cells as it gets all the oxygen straight from the water itself.
What Do Arctic Fish Eat?
Icefish vary their diet between mainly other fish and krill being a favourite. Krill is a shrimp-like Crustacean.
They are known to eat some algae basically a fair amount of protein. They eat a lot and have huge heads and a spoon-shaped lower jaw.
Good for eating they have some pretty big teeth too!.
What Eats Icefish
Being as where they live possibly polar bears but we know for sure. Fur seals and gentoo penguins are predators of the icefish.
Conclusion Bone Density & No Scales
All About Bones
No Swimblader
This fish gets crazier the more you look into it. Icefish have no need for a swim bladder why not you ask.
Well maybe due to it having super light bones. With hardly any calcium this adaptive trait gives this fish buoyancy and mobility like nothing else we’ve ever seen.
Able to move thru the waters with ease. Aso did I mention the bones are pretty much see-thru. Yep, see-thru bones and skeleton you can see the fish brain!.
Lack Of Scales Smooth Skin
Finally, we have seen a plethora of tricks from this fish. We need to acknowledge that it has no real defence no scales body armour in fact its skin is super thin and yep transparent.
See-thru again this is believed to allow the fish to absorb extra oxygen into the body. Yes, absorb oxygen and other minerals via the skin itself into the bodies of this amazing fish.
So wrapping up the Icefish has a huge heart. See-thru bones and skin and skeleton.As well as no swimbladder and see-thru blood via having no need for red blood cells awesome. OH And it has antifreeze running thru its veins!.
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