Ants don't have blood in the same way humans do. Instead, they have hemolymph, a yellowish or greenish fluid.
What is Hemolymph?
Hemolymph is the circulatory fluid found in arthropods, including ants. Unlike vertebrate blood, it doesn't contain red blood cells carrying hemoglobin, the protein responsible for the red color of human blood. The absence of hemoglobin is why ant hemolymph is typically yellowish or greenish. It circulates throughout the insect's body cavity, propelled by a simple heart, rather than flowing through a complex network of veins and arteries like in humans.
Several sources confirm this:
- The Conversation: A children's Q&A article states that ants have hemolymph, which is "yellowish or greenish". http://theconversation.com/curious-kids-do-ants-have-blood-108925
- Scientific American: This article explains that insect blood pigments are usually "bland," resulting in a clear or yellow/green hue. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-is-bug-blood-differen/
- Tulsa Zoo: Their educational material indicates that most insects, including ants, have clear blood due to the lack of the metallic components that create red blood cell color. https://tulsazoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Animal-Blood.pdf
- Multiple Reddit and StackExchange posts corroborate the yellowish-green description of ant hemolymph. https://www.reddit.com/r/Entomology/comments/14jcvg5/ants_with_red_blood/ https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/19438/if-i-squash-an-insect-and-it-produces-red-juice-does-it-always-mean-it-is-a-b
If you see red "juice" when squashing an ant, it's likely from other internal tissues or substances, not the hemolymph itself.
