Does iguanas have blood or a heart and vessels?

Yes, iguanas do indeed have blood, a heart, and circulatory vessels, just like many other vertebrates. Although iguanas are reptiles and not mammals like we are, they still possess a closed circulatory system. Here's what you need to know about their circulatory system:

1. Blood:

Iguanas have blood flowing throughout their bodies, just like humans. Their blood consists of several components:

- Plasma: The liquid part of the blood that carries various nutrients, hormones, waste products, and important molecules.

- Red Blood Cells: These contain hemoglobin which binds to oxygen and transports it to different parts of the iguana's body.

- White Blood Cells: Responsible for fighting infections and protecting the iguana's immune system.

- Platelets: Help in blood clotting and healing of injuries.

2. Heart:

Iguanas possess a four-chambered heart. It consists of two atria (upper chambers) and two ventricles (lower chambers), just like mammals.

- Right Heart: The right atrium receives blood that is low in oxygen from the body and pumps it to the right ventricle.

The right ventricle then pumps this deoxygenated blood to the lungs for oxygenation.

- Left Heart: The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the left ventricle.

The left ventricle then pumps this oxygenated blood out to all the body tissues through the arteries.

3. Blood Vessels:

Like humans, iguanas have a network of blood vessels that transports blood throughout their body:

- Arteries: Blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to the tissues.

- Veins: Blood vessels that carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart from the tissues.

- Capillaries: Tiny microscopic vessels where the exchange of oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and waste products occurs between the blood and the body tissues.

Iguanas' circulatory system is essential for delivering oxygen and nutrients, removing waste products, and maintaining overall body temperature. It allows for efficient distribution of resources and regulation of body functions, ensuring their survival and proper physiological functioning.