Most mammals have enucleated RBCs as an adaptation to facilitate the transport of oxygen. My text says that camels and llamas are exceptions to these.
I was wondering why they are exceptions, and the Google search results are confusing. Some sites say that camels have nucleated RBCs to facilitate cell division. Some others state that camels, like all other mammals possess enucleated but different shaped RBCs. So, which is correct?
The links:https://www.quora.com/Why-do-camels-have-nucleated-red-blood-cells https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070702070352AAkfspZ
Answer
Camel RBCs are anucleate [1, 2]. The dark structure seen in microscopic images is not nuclei but a network of microtubules called the marginal bands. Marginal bands cause these RBCs to adopt an ellipsoid shape. The unique shape of these RBCs possibly allows them to survive osmotic stress and is probably advantageous to a camel under extreme dehydration.
References:
[1] Cohen, William D., and N. Barclay Terwilliger. "Marginal bands in camel erythrocytes." Journal of cell science 36.1 (1979): 97-107.
[2] Long, Charles A. "Evolution of function and form in camelid erythrocytes." Actas de The 2007 WSEAS International Conference on Cellular & Molecular Biology, Biophysics & Bioengineering. 2007.
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