Earthworm Question, my daughter has stumped me!

[JenneinCA]

My daughter is interested in all things weird. Recently we have been talking about how blood is made and that it is made in the bone marrow and red blood cells actually don't divide to make more.

 

So now she wants to know how earthworms (and anything else without a skeleton) makes blood since they don't have bones to have bone marrow.

 

Does anyone know? How do worms and insects make blood?

[Once]

This answer is from my hubbie who is a Biologist. I could have translated this wrong so you may want to google some more.

 

 

Worms are different than bugs. Worms have a closed cirrulatory system with vessels but no heart. The blood that cirrculates does not have cells (red or white) it is just a plasma type thing with stuff diluted into it. So it is made by the osmosis of bringing in water and diluting stuff that the worms produce and need.

 

Bugs have something called HEMOLYMPH (not blood). It carries nutrients but no oxygen. They use an open system which is like a big hollow inside the bug - no heart, no vessles. They make the Hemolymph with the water consumed in foods and osmosis in the digestive track.

 

 

WOW! Your girls is way more curious about bugs and worms than I am. (shutter) Good thing you asked this cause my son is likely to follow so now I know!

 

HTH

[JenneinCA]

Thank you! And thank you to your husband too!

 

My daughter is interested in anything that doesn't make sense and this qualified.

 

The explanation about the worm and the bugs made sense to her so all is well for now. I tried to find the answer on Google before I posted but I wasn't getting anywhere. I guess I didn't know what to type in.

 

Thank you again!!!!