What is the Difference Between Human and Animal Blood?

There are several differences between human and animal blood, which can be categorized into the following aspects:

1. Blood characteristics: Human blood is always warm-blooded, while some animals have cold blood. The percentage of cell types in human and animal blood differs between species. In humans, the blood vascular system is closed, whereas some animals have an open blood vascular system.
2. Red Blood Cells (RBCs) and Hemoglobin: Human RBCs are of biconcave shape, while other animals have different shapes for their RBCs, such as camels with elliptical-shaped RBCs. Different animals also have varying amounts of hemoglobin in their blood.
3. Blood viscosity and shear rate: Animal and human blood may have different viscosity and shear rate values. Adjusting these values can help match human and animal blood in translational research.
4. Biochemical differences: Animal and human blood appear identical to the naked eye, but they have different biochemical characteristics. Forensic scientists use techniques like spectroscopy and statistics to differentiate human and animal blood at crime scenes.

In summary, there are various differences between human and animal blood, including blood characteristics, red blood cell shapes, hemoglobin levels, blood viscosity, and shear rate. Understanding these differences can be essential for research and forensic purposes, as well as for understanding the unique adaptations of different animal species.

Comparative Table: Human vs Animal Blood

Creating a table to compare human and animal blood requires specialized knowledge and equipment, as differentiating between human and animal blood can be quite challenging without proper tools and training. However, there have been studies that used advanced techniques such as attenuated total reflection Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR) combined with statistical analysis to distinguish human blood from various animal blood samples. Some of the species used for comparison in these studies include cat, dog, rabbit, horse, cow, pig, opossum, raccoon, deer, elk, and ferret.

The table below provides a summary of some general differences between human and animal blood, although it may not cover all possible variations:

Please note that the information provided in the table is general and may not be applicable to all animals or humans. Additionally, differentiating human and animal blood on a species level without specialized equipment and training remains challenging.