News > ‘Wonderful nets’ of blood vessels protect dolphin brains during dives

‘Wonderful nets’ of blood vessels protect dolphin brains during dives

If you look at parts of the circulatory system of whales and dolphins, you might think that you are looking at a Jackson Pollock painting, not blood vessels.

These cetaceans have especially dense, complex networks of blood vessels mainly associated with the brain and spine. A new analysis suggests that the networks protect cetaceans' brains from the pulses of blood pressure that the animals endure while diving deep in the ocean, researchers report.