Some Israeli researchers at the Tel Aviv University have accidentally discovered a non-oxygen breathing animal, showing that the unique animal doesn't require oxygen to live.
According to ScienceAlert, the salmon parasite 'Henneguya salminicola' is related to the Jellyfish and Coral. It lives in salmon tissue, forming little cysts that don't seem to infect humans or the fish.
The parasite which lives in the low-oxygen environments of the ocean has over time stopped using oxygen to produce energy.
It was discovered that the host body of the parasite usually lacks oxygen, indicating that the organism has adapted and dropped its mitochondria genes.
Speaking on the feat, the lead researcher, Prof. Dorothee Huchon of the School of Zoology, TAU said: "Aerobic respiration was thought to be ubiquitous in animals, but now we confirmed that this is not the case."
"Our discovery shows that evolution can go in strange directions.
Aerobic respiration is a major source of energy, and yet we found an animal that gave up this critical pathway," She added.
She noted that organisms like amoebas and fungi have lost the ability to breathe over time as such animals can do the same.
