Ask Biology Expert

Problem:

Giraffes, being one of the tallest mammals in the world, have a failsafe called rete mirabile to prevent them from dying from excessive blood pressure while lowering their head.

Due to their long necks, a formidable amount of blood pressure is needed:

A giraffe's heart has special adaptations to enable it to pump blood up the animal's long neck to its head. A giraffe's heart has the formidable task of pumping blood at high enough pressure so that it can flow up the giraffe's neck to the brain. To accomplish this, a giraffe's heart is specially adapted. It can weigh up to 10 kg (22 lb) and generates twice the blood pressure of other large mammals. Having enough blood pressure to pump blood to the brain when the giraffe's neck is extended upward is one challenge, but when the animal lowers its head it risks injury due to excessive blood pressure. To counter this, giraffes have a pressure-regulating system known as the rete mirabile which restricts the amount of blood that rushes towards the brain when the giraffe lowers its head.

Question: How did this evolve?

I believe in evolution but I can't wrap my head around this. If an "overload" of blood would reach the giraffe's brain while it is, for instance, drinking water and either instantly killing the animal or severely wounding the animals mental and physical capabilities by rupturing the brain,

Question: How could a failsafe like this evolve? Please explain your answer.

Biology, Academics

  • Category:- Biology
  • Reference No.:- M91148757

Have any Question?


Related Questions in Biology

Case study question -case study - mary 21 years old

Case Study Question - Case Study - Mary, 21 years old, presented to the hospital emergency department with an infected laceration on her left foot. Mary was at a beach resort four days ago, when she trod on a broken glas ...

Assignment -the upper-case blue letters are the 14th exon

Assignment - The upper-case, blue letters are the 14th exon (of 20) in the Hephl1 gene in mice. The lower-case (black) letters are from the flanking introns.  The highlighted bases indicate primers that may be used to ge ...

Question - a pure strain of mendels peas dominant for all

Question - A pure strain of mendel's peas, dominant for all seven of his independently assorting genes, was testcrossed. How many different kinds of gametes could the F1 PRODUCE?

Igfbp2 rbp4 and factor d post bariatric surgeryigfbp2 what

IGFBP2/ RBP4 and Factor D Post Bariatric Surgery IGFBP2 ( what the normal physiological action in the body? And how it affectedby obesity? andpost bariatric surgery?) RBP4 (what the normal physiological action in the bod ...

Assignment on nutrition - q1 task you need to select 2

Assignment on Nutrition - Q1. Task: You need to select 2 different age groups of your choice. You will need to plan balanced meals with snacks for a day. Once you have laid out the meal plan you need to: Explain why the ...

Question - gene cloning a please write the steps to clone

Question - Gene Cloning a) Please write the steps to clone the protease gene from Bacillus strain whose genome sequence is not known. b) Express the protease gene to obtain the enzyme in high yield, please plan your prot ...

Instructions address each question below as it relates to

Instructions: Address each question below as it relates to the caw study given. A patient was brought to the Emergency Department by ambulance with two arrow wounds. One arrow is still in the patient on the left side; en ...

Use of molecular tools and bioinforrnatics in the diagnosis

Use of Molecular Tools and Bioinforrnatics in the Diagnosis Characterization of Enteric Pathogens from a Case Study Purpose: The purpose of this project is to familiarize the student with modern molecular tools and bioin ...

Experiment 1 staining video1 open the media player by

Experiment 1: Staining Video 1. Open the Media Player by clicking on the film-strip button in the lower left of the lab's window frame, as shown below. The Media Player is a repository of images, videos, saved snapshots, ...

Chosen dr jan nolta- stem cell researcher head of uc davis

Chosen Dr. Jan Nolta- Stem Cell Researcher Head of UC Davis Stem Cell Program Director Topic Background: early Stem cells have the ability to develop into many different types of cells. Stem Cell Research is not without ...

  • 4,153,160 Questions Asked
  • 13,132 Experts
  • 2,558,936 Questions Answered

Ask Experts for help!!

Looking for Assignment Help?

Start excelling in your Courses, Get help with Assignment

Write us your full requirement for evaluation and you will receive response within 20 minutes turnaround time.

Ask Now Help with Problems, Get a Best Answer

Why might a bank avoid the use of interest rate swaps even

Why might a bank avoid the use of interest rate swaps, even when the institution is exposed to significant interest rate

Describe the difference between zero coupon bonds and

Describe the difference between zero coupon bonds and coupon bonds. Under what conditions will a coupon bond sell at a p

Compute the present value of an annuity of 880 per year

Compute the present value of an annuity of $ 880 per year for 16 years, given a discount rate of 6 percent per annum. As

Compute the present value of an 1150 payment made in ten

Compute the present value of an $1,150 payment made in ten years when the discount rate is 12 percent. (Do not round int

Compute the present value of an annuity of 699 per year

Compute the present value of an annuity of $ 699 per year for 19 years, given a discount rate of 6 percent per annum. As