Amphibians blood query

[Danny McG]

Google seems a bit undecided on this.
I need some 'not too deep and sciency' info for a story.
I have me a mobile plant (triffidish I know) that is a mobile mycelium mass of fungus, this creature projects mental calm to enable it to approach and then nuzzle up to amphibians in a swamp world.
It doesn't kill them, it drains off enough of their blood to leave the hapless toad things very lethargic for a few days until they recover.
I've written it uses their haemoglobin as a nutrient plant food but now I'm a bit uncertain if frogs, toads etc actually have haemoglobin
Anyone who can advise on this please?
Not too heavy on science thanks

Danny

 

[Pyan]

Yes, amphibians do have hæmoglobin. Any living creature with red blood has it, as hæmoglobin is what makes it red...

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-colour-of-blood-in-frogs-snakes-lizards

 

[Danny McG]

Yes, amphibians do have hæmoglobin. Any living creature with red blood has it, as hæmoglobin is what makes it red...

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-colour-of-blood-in-frogs-snakes-lizards

Fair enough - for some reason I thought frogs have green blood so that's possibly why Google was indefinite. I was asking does green blood have haemoglobin and getting contrary answers. Thanks

 

[Biskit]

Unless your blood-sucking fungus specifically needs the iron from haemoglobin, I would expect the main component that matters would be the protein and, whatever the oxygen carrying mechanism, I would assume it would be bundled up in something made of protein.

 

[Danny McG]

Unless your blood-sucking fungus specifically needs the iron from haemoglobin, I would expect the main component that matters would be the protein and, whatever the oxygen carrying mechanism, I would assume it would be bundled up in something made of protein.

Thinking about it you're clearly correct. Think I just randomly pulled haemoglobin out as a blood component. Very easy to amend so it gets 'nutrients' from the amphibian blood instead. That leaves it to the reader to decide which part of the blood gets used.
At the back of my mind I was remembering my dad using packets of dried blood from a garden centre to fertilise certain plants.
Thanks

 

[Biskit]

At the back of my mind I was remembering my dad using packets of dried blood from a garden centre to fertilise certain plants.

I recalled the 'blood and bone meal' fertiliser. Basically, blood is rich in all sorts of handy things like fixed nitrogen, phosphorous and miscellaneous trace minerals. Once you throw in the calcium, phosphorous etc from bone, it's everything a young triffid needs to grow.

 

[Theophania Elliott]

Thinking about your moving mass of fungus, have you come across slime moulds? They can move, and they act, in some ways, as if they have simple brains. They have ways to 'remember' things, they make decisions, and they appear to keep track of time.

More here - but I think this one from the Scientific American is the best of all from a sci-fi/fantasy writer's perspective.

 

[Phyrebrat]

The anti-clotting agent is normally the same as the anaesthetic in animals. Check out lampreys, leeches etc

pH

 

[Danny McG]

Thinking about your moving mass of fungus, have you come across slime moulds? They can move, and they act, in some ways, as if they have simple brains. They have ways to 'remember' things, they make decisions, and they appear to keep track of time.

More here - but I think this one from the Scientific American is the best of all from a sci-fi/fantasy writer's perspective.

Weird little things.
Somehow, when you read about their engineering skills in constructing the most efficient pathways between food sources etc, they make me think of the 'Do-sers' from Fraggle Rock!

 

[hitmouse]

Pedantic biologist alert.

A fungus is not strictly speaking a plant.

 

[Danny McG]

Pedantic biologist alert.

A fungus is not strictly speaking a plant.

It IS in my story cos it's "not of this world'
That's why it's also telepathic and can walk up starship ramps

 

[J Riff]

I looked for Slime Mold documentaries on youTube, ages ago, and there's one or two worth watching. Amazing critters, they build towers and have other tricks as well.