Rete Mirabile of Dolphin: Its Pressure-Damping Effect on Cerebral Circulation

Abstract

In the bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus, a massive retial complex is interposed between the systemic and cerebral circulations at the cervicothoracic level. Pressure measurements in the retial efferent arteries supplying the brain revealed relatively nonpulsatile pressure profiles. These measurements in the anesthetized dolphin demonstrate the pressure-damping effect of the retia mirabile.