{"id":219,"date":"2022-06-27T20:13:37","date_gmt":"2022-06-27T20:13:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/?p=219"},"modified":"2022-06-27T20:18:32","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T20:18:32","slug":"does-a-cockroach-have-red-blood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/does-a-cockroach-have-red-blood\/","title":{"rendered":"Does A Cockroach Have Red Blood? Will it Stain Everything Red?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Imagine this: casually sprawled across your couch on a lazy Saturday afternoon, you spot a cockroach running through your living room <a href=\"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/why-are-there-suddenly-so-many-cockroaches-in-my-house\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"32\">as if it owns the place<\/a>. Your first instinct would be to <a href=\"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/do-cockroaches-feel-pain-when-sprayed\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"140\">crush it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Naturally, you\u2019d expect a trail of red blood oozing. However, the sight is borderline yellow-white and transparent. This poses the question: <strong><em>does a cockroach have red blood<\/em><\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Cockroach\u2019s blood is creamy, whitish, orange, yellowish, or entirely colorless<\/li><li>The color of a cockroach\u2019s blood varies depending on its gender and stage of development<\/li><li>A cockroach\u2019s blood is never red because it does not contain hemoglobin<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This might be news to you, but cockroaches don\u2019t have red blood. They continue to make it a point to be as different from humans as possible (which is a good thing)! Their <a href=\"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/are-cockroaches-intelligent\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"148\">behavior<\/a>, coping mechanisms, <a href=\"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/why-do-cockroaches-come-toward-you-to-escape\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"85\">survival instincts<\/a>, and bodily functions are widely different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As if that wasn\u2019t enough, the color of their blood is also backed by an entirely different story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does a Cockroach Have Red Blood?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A cockroach\u2019s blood does not consist of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mountsinai.org\/health-library\/tests\/hemoglobin\" rel=\"noopener\">hemoglobin<\/a>. Thus, it does not appear red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the contrary, their blood consists of hemolymph. This makes their blood much more transparent and yellow-white than the normal blood-red we know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cockroaches have an open circulatory system, which causes their blood to clot instantly. Their heart is not the ordinary human or chicken heart shape but is shaped like a tube. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This contains an aorta responsible for pumping blood to the cockroach\u2019s body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This process essentially proceeds through an open circulatory system made of spaces called the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/hemocoel\" rel=\"noopener\">hemocoel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What type of blood do cockroaches have?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Like other insects, cockroaches have a distinct blood type, also known as hemolymph. This white or colorless fluid flows throughout a cockroach\u2019s body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These insects have an open circulatory system that contains a wide network of spaces known as the hemocoel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These operates like capillaries, blood veins, and vessels. This is present in vertebrates and takes up the role of pumping blood to the cockroach\u2019s main organs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Essentially, hemoglobin is responsible for giving blood the color red. It is responsible for transmitting oxygen within the blood for vertebrates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since cockroaches don\u2019t have hemoglobin within their system, they opt for their tracheal system to supply oxygen throughout their bodies. Therefore, their blood remains colorless, whitish, or a shade of yellow, consisting of colorless plasma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly, they also don&#8217;t have lungs and <a href=\"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/how-long-can-a-cockroach-live-in-a-jar\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"203\">can survive for 40 minutes without breathing<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is hemolymph, and how does it differ from hemoglobin?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hemolymph is a mirror image of hemoglobin. The main difference is that the prior is present in cockroaches while the latter is present in animals and humans. This compound is an extracellular fluid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is colorless and flows through the bodies of various insects, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Flies<\/li><li>Various arthropods<\/li><li>Beetles<\/li><li>Cockroaches<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To simplify it, hemolymph acts as the blood in various insects. Its primary function is to move hormones, nutrients, waste, and nucleating agents between cell tissues. Studies state that hemolymph makes up 15% to 75% of a cockroach\u2019s body mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This fluid is made of up to 20-50% water. The remaining percentage is a solution of organic compounds and salts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All these facts explain why a white, colorless liquid might ooze out of a cockroach as you crush it to death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How does the color of a cockroach\u2019s blood vary?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The most common color of a cockroach\u2019s blood is no color. Indeed, a cockroach\u2019s blood is almost always colorless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, you might find some exceptions within these cockroaches where the color ranges from yellow-white to shades of orange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The core reason behind hemolymph not being red is the lack of hemoglobin. But, it doesn\u2019t end there. A cockroach\u2019s gender plays a major role in determining its blood color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The common norm suggests that female and male cockroaches have transparent, colorless blood. This color may vary in <a href=\"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/do-cockroaches-lay-eggs-when-they-die\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"154\">pregnant cockroaches or egg-laying females<\/a> as they emit yellowish or orange-shaded blood. This color change results from adult pregnant cockroaches with hormonal changes as they produce eggs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A hormonal shift among adult cockroaches leads to the cockroach\u2019s liver emitting a protein called vitellogenin. It is orange or yellowish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When an adult cockroach\u2019s blood interacts with vitellogenin, it becomes yellow or orange. This change remains constant until the female cockroach completes the egg-laying process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the Appearance of Cockroach Blood?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As unique as these mini-monsters are in other biological factors, their blood looks similar to other insects with hemolymph. It is whitish, clear, or slightly yellow, depending on the cockroach\u2019s gender and development stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another core characteristic of a cockroach\u2019s blood is that it does not flow like a normal animal or human blood. It is best not to expect hemolymph to ooze like vertebrae blood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This contains ions, water, carbohydrates, fats, and amino acids. This is essentially why its consistency is creamy and thick, similar to pus, and has a low viscosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do all cockroaches have blood?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although their blood type is different than that of humans and animals, all cockroaches have blood in the form of hemolymph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This helps with numerous functions in all cockroach species. Such as delivering vital nutrients, transporting different materials, and flushing out poison or toxins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cockroaches are not likely to survive without hemolymph. This is because it plays a vital role in helping cells and tissues perform their intended functions. But, the appearance, texture, and consistency of blood within cockroaches are widely different from what most people perceive blood to look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion: cockroaches do not have red blood!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These deep brown insects function widely differently than humans or animals. Therefore, their blood is also widely different than ours to expand on that further. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These insects don\u2019t have red blood and carry whitish or colorless blood within their system. However, this does not mean that their blood is inferior. It performs various functions and plays an integral role in keeping these cockroaches alive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine this: casually sprawled across your couch on a lazy Saturday afternoon, you spot a cockroach running through your living room as if it owns the place. Your first instinct would be to crush it. Naturally, you\u2019d expect a trail of red blood oozing. However, the sight is borderline yellow-white and transparent. This poses the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":229,"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219\/revisions\/229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}