Scientists have discovered an animal that does not need oxygen to live

"When we think of animals, we imagine multicellular creatures that need oxygen to survive, unlike many single-celled organisms such as bacteria," said Stephen Atkinson, senior research assistant at the Microbiology Department at Oregon State University at CNN.

He participates in the research team that discovered the small parasite consisting of fewer than ten cells.

- We have shown that there is at least one multi-celled animal that does not have the genetic toolbox to use oxygen.

The researchers do not know for sure what the parasite relies on instead of oxygen, but Stephen Atkinsons assumes that it absorbs molecules from its host animal that has already produced the energy.

- It is a brilliant simplification that shows that sometimes it is not necessary, he.

The newly discovered parasite is a myxozoan cnidarian, a type of animal related to jellyfish and coral.

It lives in salmon tissue where it forms small, white cysts in the muscles. According to the researchers, it is probably harmless to both fish and humans. The energy gets it by stealing finished nutrients from its host animal.

- This broadens the definition of what an animal can be, says Stephen Atkinson.

Since the environment inside salmon is largely devoid of oxygen, the parasite has been developed so that it does not need oxygen to produce energy.

"It has released mitochondrial genomes and thus saves energy because it doesn't have to copy genes to things it no longer needs," Stephen Atkinson explains.

The research team does not believe that Henneguya salminicola is the only oxygen-free animal, but they will continue their work to discover more species that can survive without oxygen.