Why is Cockroach Blood Green?
WouterA simple question might come to your mind, “Why is cockroach blood green?” The answer is in the organism’s hemolymph, which is the circulatory fluid. This fluid carries oxygen from the outside to the inside. Cockroaches lack hemoglobin, which makes human blood red. Because of this, their blood does not use hemoglobin to carry oxygen. They do, however, have hemolymph, which flows freely throughout their internal organs and tissues.
The cockroach blood is a clear color, but its actual color is yellow or whitish. This is because the insect does not have red blood cells. Instead, it has hemolymph, which is composed of amino acids, carbohydrates, and fats. The cockroach hemolymph contains only a trace amount of hemoglobin, which is the respiratory protein that gives human blood its red color.
Cockroach blood is the result of a process called hemolysis. This process, which takes about 8 minutes, delivers nutrients and hormones to its cells. Insects’ blood contains a green or yellowish colour because the pigments in the plants they eat create a green or yellowish hue.
Cockroaches share a symbiotic relationship with bacteria. Bacteria called bacteroids live in special cells in the cockroach’s fat body tissue. Bacteriaoids help a cockroach produce the vitamins it needs. Without the bacteria, a cockroach would lack the nutrients that it needs to survive.
