Life Lines by Dr. Dolittle

Tag Archive for ‘bile’

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When fasting bites back: The bile dilemma in tiger sharks

Happy Shark Week!! In this post, we take a look at how fasting may harm young tiger sharks. Sharks LOVE to eat fish, which are packed with protein and fats. In fact, fat is a major energy source for sharks and high levels of circulating fats are associated with better body conditions in tiger sharks. To handle their diet, sharks need healthy livers and gallbladders to produce and release bile, […]

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Green-blooded lizards

Researchers have known that some lizards have green blood due to bile pigments: In fact, six species of lizards found in New Guinea are known to have green blood. The levels of bile found in their blood are four times higher than the toxic level for humans. New research shows that green blood evolved independently 4 times in evolutionary history. These findings suggest that high levels of circulating green bile […]

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