Animals that have multiple hearts, brains

May 16, 2024, 05:34 PM IST

Animals that have multiple hearts, brains

Shweta Singh

Octopuses have three hearts. Two of these hearts pump blood to their gills, while the third pumps oxygenated blood to the rest of their body. They also have a distributed nervous system with a central brain and smaller "brains" in each of their eight arms.

Octopus

Similar to octopuses, squids also have three hearts. Two pump blood to their gills, and the third pumps oxygenated blood to the rest of their body.

Squid

Cuttlefish, close relatives of squids and octopuses, also have three hearts and distributed nervous systems.

Cuttlefish

Earthworms have multiple pairs of hearts, typically five in total, which pump blood through their segmented bodies.

Earthworms

These primitive marine creatures have four hearts: one main heart and three accessory hearts. They also have a simple brain structure.

Hagfish

Besides octopuses, squids, and cuttlefish, other cephalopods such as nautiluses also have multiple hearts.

Cephalopods

Some jellyfish species have diffuse nerve nets rather than centralized brains, with some possessing multiple nerve centers, giving them a decentralized "nerve net."

Jellyfish

Flatworms have a centralized brain but also possess a decentralized nerve network throughout their bodies, allowing them to regenerate even if the central brain is damaged or removed.

Flatworms