Bloodless Icefish

To prepare myself for the trip in April, I am going to talk a little about the research I am going to conduct in Antarctica and my research subjects, the “bloodless” icefish (Pictured Below). Unlike the picture below, some icefish are even see-through! The “bloodless” icefish belong to the Channichthyidae family which means they are a family of fish that are white-blooded and their face resembles a crocodile (Channichthyidae). This family belongs in a larger suborder of fish called Notothenioidei. The notothenioid fish all live in the Antarctic waters (Southern Ocean) with most species experiencing water temperatures around -2 °C to 2 °C. Believe it or not, the Southern Ocean is the most thermally stable marine environment on Earth with little change in water temperatures and oxygen levels over millions of years. In fact the Southern Ocean has been this cold for at least 10-14 million years, which caused a decline in the species diversity and left the notothenioids as the major species with very little  species competition. So over the course of 10-14 million years, with no major predators and isolated from other animals, the icefish have made the best of their icy homes with very unique adaptations. The one unique adaptation that I am concerned with is their blood and circulatory system.