The internal carotid artery in the ontogenesis of selected representatives of the Cervidae family in Poland

<b>Cervids present in the natural environment of Poland include red deer, fallow deer, Eurasian elk, and roe deer. In ruminants, during ontogeny changes occur in the arterial system of the head, involving obliteration of the extracranial segment of the internal carotid artery. The aim of this study was to describe the presence and course of the internal carotid artery and establish the timing of changes in the vascular system of the head associated with the obliteration of this vessel. The study was conducted on 146 representatives of the Cervidae family: red deer, fallow deer and roe deer. The presence of a fully preserved internal carotid artery was shown in foetuses and young animals up to the age of about two years. At about 2.5 years of age, only the initial part of the internal carotid artery, emerging from the carotid sinus, and a short fragment directly before the rostral epidural rete mirabile were preserved. In adult animals older than three years, the extracranial part of this artery was obliterated.