The special adaptations that allow the Antarctic octopus to live in the frigid waters of the region could actually allow it to thrive in a warming climate.

The Antarctic Ocean, inhospitable as it may seem to us, hosts a wide variety of animal life of just about every shape and description. This is clearly demonstrated by the discovery of fish beneath 2500 feet of ice in January. On Earth, as the truism goes, ‘where there is water, there is life.’

Aquatic species that live in such cold waters, however, have been forced to develop specialized adaptations for survival. The arctic waters contain large amounts of oxygen, however the blood of arctic animals is more viscous which can reduce blood flow. Antarctic fish have shown a reduced need for active oxygen transport by blood.

The octopus clearly has a different system. The animals have blue blood, rather than red; haemocyanin rather than haemoglobin. They also have three hearts. To date little research has been done on how the cephalopods adapt to very cold water.

New research published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology examines this question and finds that the Antarctic octopus may benefit from increased ocean temperatures.

“This is the first study providing clear evidence that the octopods’ blue blood pigment, haemocyanin, undergoes functional changes to improve the supply of oxygen to tissue at sub-zero temperatures. This is important because it highlights a very different response compared to Antarctic fish to the cold conditions in the Southern Ocean. The results also imply that due to improved oxygen supply by haemocyanin at higher temperatures, this octopod may be physiologically better equipped than Antarctic fishes to cope with global warming,” said lead author Michael Oellermann from Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Germany, in a statement.

In order to better understand the circulatory system of the octopus, the researchers gathered three species; the Antarctic octopod Pareledone charcoti, the Octopus pallidus from South-east Australia and Eledone moschata from the Mediterranean.

They found that the Arctic Octopus had at least 40% more of the oxygen transporting haemocyanin in its blood than the other species, one of the highest levels reported for any octopod.

The hemocyanin of the Arctic octopod also seemed to function better than that of the other octopods at warmer temperatures. At 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) it was more than twice as efficient as its warm-water cousins.

The ability to tolerate warm temperatures, in addition to very cold climates, explains reports of the Pareledone charcoti in rock pools and warmer shallow waters and indicates a strong ability to survive or even thrive in a warming sea.

It also provides clues about the remarkable diversity of octopods in a wide variety of marine environments.

Of course, without a better picture of the overall ecosystem it is difficult to say how any species might fare in the Earth’s rapidly changing climate. Changes, for example, in water chemistry, the octopod’s food supply or the number of predators could still have substantial, unforeseen impacts.