Extraordinary Blood Circulation in Crocodiles

Mirac Bekdemir
By examining the heart of a crocodile, researchers have discovered how it
is that an air-breathing land animal can manage to glide through murky
waters for several hours without the need to surface.

There is that one scene in documentaries that we often come across on

television: Crocodiles gliding gracefully inside the water, waiting for hours
for the perfect time to pounce and snatch their prey from their necks and
into the water. But how do these animals manage to stay underwater for
almost two hours without surfacing for air even though they, just like
human beings and other land animals, live on pulmonary respiration and
are in need of the free oxygen in the air?

A member of the reptiles class, crocodiles do not have gill nor can they
have skin respiration since their skin is covered with a thick and airtight
keratin armor. Just as every living organism are provided with a suitable
anatomic and physiological character for their survival, crocodiles are also
granted with a system that facilitates their long stay in the water.

Crocodiles are bestowed with a special heart anatomy different to other

reptiles like lizards, tortoises, and snakes. The hearts of other reptiles are
designed to contain three sections including two atriums and one ventricle.
The right atrium, which collects the returned oxygen-deprived
(deoxygenated) blood and the left atrium which collects the oxygen-rich
(oxygenated) blood retrieved from pulmonary arteries of the lung,
transports the blood to one common ventricle. Because there is only one
ventricle to receive and combine oxygenated and deoxygenated blood, a
mixture of less oxygenated blood is pumped to their body. Depending on
outside temperature, the body temperature of a reptile increases or
decreases. Their metabolism slows down, almost to a halt, while their body
temperature decreases when outside temperature drops near or beyond
freezing conditions. Hibernation begins as a result. Frogs and reptiles stop
hibernating as soon as their body temperature increases depending on the
outside temperature when the weather gets warm. These organisms are
called cold blooded animals (with variable body temperatures) because of
this feature.

The heart of a crocodile is different to other reptiles in that it has four

chambers just like birds and mammals. Blood is sent to the lungs for gas
exchange from the right, and from the left ventricle it is pumped to the
body. Thus the two types of blood do not mix in the heart. However, what
is interesting is that blood is mixed as soon as it leaves the heart via a valve
(foramen of panizza) placed in between the right and left aorta.

What could be the purpose of blood, which does not normally mix in the
heart, mixing through the medium of a hole? Does this opening in between
two aortas indicate a flaw? It is understood after some research that this
hole in fact is not a flaw or an anomaly; on the contrary, it is a necessity for
a metabolism suited perfectly to the lifestyle of the crocodile.

Warm blooded vertebrates like birds and mammals with a four chamber
heart have faster metabolic speeds and higher blood pressures. For these
organisms can only supply the energy they consume during their daily
activities via such a fast metabolism and a high level of oxygen provided
with oxygenated blood.

If the metabolism of a crocodile was fast like mammals all throughout the
year, it would have to continuously be nourished and use oxygen.
Furthermore, because crocodiles do not have much predators, they could
have also lead to the extinctions of some species by overpopulating if they
featured a faster metabolism. The low ratio of heart-body mass in
crocodiles (0.15%) compared to mammals and birds (0.40%-0.50%) cause
the movements of crocodiles to be relatively slower. The Almighty, who
creates everything with his wisdom, lowers the blood oxygen ratio and the
metabolic speed of crocodiles by creating a valve that combines the two
aortas. Thus eliminating the possibility of crocodile overpopulation.

Crocodiles have two aortic arches whereas mammals only have a left, and
birds have one right aortic arch. The left aortic arch, despite some contact
with the returned blood via foramen of panizza, delivers the oxygenated
blood towards intestines, stomach, spleen and the liver after receiving it
from the left ventricle of the heart. This is because the digestive system of a
crocodile requires oxygen-rich blood. Deoxygenated blood while exiting
the right ventricle goes towards the pulmonary arteries of the lung for
exchange and mixes with oxygenated blood coming from the right aorta,
feeding other organs that are instrumental for its slow metabolism.

Under the water, separated oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood mixes

when exiting the heart and switches route, thus making oxygenated blood
vessels start to carry oxygen poor blood. So what is the reason behind this
switch in the direction of the bloodstream under the water? See at this
point, the extraordinary features of the crocodile blood circulation system
kick in. The two anatomical features belonging only to only crocodile
hearts is what enables them to stay under water without breathing.
Because of little or no lung use under the water, a big portion of the blood
stream is diverted away from lungs; therefore oxygen poor blood is
pumped back to the body. As one feature of the two, foramen of panizza
restricts (does not close) upon signals coming from nostril sensors under
the water but expands and remains open on land. The two aortic arches
connects with each other via foramen of panizza as soon as they leave the
heart but merge completely in the lower parts of the body away from the
heart (anastomosis).

The second feature stems from a serrated valve. Refilling of pumped blood
is stopped via a passive, thin leaf-shaped valve which is located at the tip
of the pulmonary artery exiting the right ventricle. Thus, one-way direction
of blood flow in the heart is maintained. These valves, which carry nodules
made of connective tissue, constrict during the dive and blood flow to the
lungs is reduced greatly. Therefore blood rejoins the systemic circulation
from the right aortic arch.

The blood circulation of crocodiles is similar to birds, mammals, and

humans while they are active on land. Oxygen-deprived blood is sent to
lungs for gas exchange. The only difference is the turning of the right aorta
to the left and the left aorta to the right. Oxygen rich blood not only flows
through the left aorta but also through the right aorta via foramen of the
panizza as well causing distribution via two channels into the body.
However, the foramen of the panizza being open is not sufficient for these
two channels to be used. At the same time, the pressure of the blood
within the left ventricle needs to be higher as well. This way, high pressure
oxygenated blood flows into the right aorta through the opening of the
panizza, applying pressure to the valve at the tip of the right aorta to close
it in order to prevent the mixing of the oxygen-poor blood into this route.
As a result, oxygenated blood gets distributed quickly by each aortic arch
without mixing with the used blood. Thus, oxygen-poor and oxygen-rich
blood follows the following route on land

* Deoxygenated blood: Body - superior and inferior pulmonary veins - right

atrium - right ventricle - lung pulmonary artery - lungs.
* Oxygenated blood: Lung pulmonary vein - left atrium - left ventricle -
right aorta and left aorta via panizza valve (both aortas are active) and
body.

The opening of the panizza narrows with the help of signals coming from
the nostrils when crocodiles submerge. At the same time serrated valves at
the tip of pulmonary artery that transports the blood to the lungs also
constrict. While this serrated valve is at work, a majority of the blood
returning from the body is not sent to the lungs because they are not
functioning at the time. This serrated valve also increases the pressure of
the right ventricle. This pressure, along with elevated resistance in
pulmonary circulation and lowered pressure of systemic circulation, leads
to the opening of normal valves at the tip of the left aorta. In the end, the
left aorta which normally carries oxygenated blood on land starts carrying
oxygen deprived blood, and there is a route switch.

The most beneficial part of this switch is to re-route the deprived blood
back to the body via a different route, that is, the left aorta. This by-passes
the lungs and prevents time loss. Despite the fact that blood of the left
aorta mixes with the oxygenated blood of the right aorta to some degree
via the panizza valve, the main function of this opening while submerged is
to supply blood flow to the arteries feeding the heart and brain through
the transfer of some poor blood from the left aorta into the right aorta; this
way vital organs are not left without blood.

Blood returning from the body is not sent to the lungs for gas exchange
when crocodiles are under the water. However, existing oxygen in the
blood can be delivered to the tissues quickly by a route switch. The amount
of bicarbonate ions that is important in the transport of CO2 in the blood
increases when oxygen pressure in the tissues drop. Anaerobic respiration
of tissues increases. This leads to an increase in lactic acid levels and
reduces pH. Eventually, it facilitates the release of oxygen carried by
hemoglobin. In the end, oxygen that is bonded with hemoglobin is used
more efficiently. In the meantime, the body temperature of a crocodile
submerged under water decreases and slows down its metabolism,
reducing the need for oxygen. Oxygen stored in the blood can be sufficient
up to two hours under the water. However when these reserves are
consumed, crocodiles have to resurface to breathe even though it may cost
a prey to escape.

Crocodiles can live on land and in the water and adapt to their
environments with ease and efficiency thanks to the ponderous working of
their mechanisms under water, the change in blood circulation, slow blood
flow, reduced body temperature and metabolic speed bestowed upon
them. Just like humans in sleep, crocodiles can remain submerged for long
periods (4-6 minutes in usual dives; up to 2 hours when pressed) with this
perfect system granted to them. Crocodiles use these mechanisms not only
when under water, but also while resting or for periods after heavy feeding.