Where are the stem cells that produce mammalian red blood cells located?

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Growth Various growth stages of the Emperor gum moth caterpillar (*Opodiphthera eucalypti*).

In adult mammals, the stem cells responsible for producing red blood cells—known as hematopoietic stem cells—are located in the bone marrow.12

While hematopoietic stem cells can also be found in small numbers in peripheral blood and in larger quantities in umbilical cord blood, the bone marrow serves as the primary site for the continuous production of red blood cells throughout adult life. In adults, this active marrow is primarily situated in the central bones of the skeleton, including the ribs, sternum, vertebrae, and pelvic bones. Within the marrow, these stem cells are typically anchored to blood vessels and to the osteoblasts of the trabecular bone.123