Arteries of the brain in wild European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus (Linnaeus, 1758).

Research into the pattern and variation of brain arteries in wild rabbit involved 43 brains. The main source of blood supply to the brain in rabbit are vertebral arteries and the basilar artery, formed as a result of their anastomosis, as well as internal carotid arteries the branches of which form the arterial circle of the brain. Variation in descent concerns mostly the pattern of descent of middle cerebral arteries, in 36.5% they were multiple vessels. The caudal communicating arteries in wild rabbit constituted a symmetrical anastomosis of internal carotid arteries and caudal cerebral arteries. They stabilized an even blood supply to all parts of the brain. The caudal cerebral arteries constituted the terminal branches of the basilar artery. A comparison of the blood supply to the brain in wild rabbit and domestic rabbit described by WILAND (1968) revealed lower variation in the arteries in the wild form than in the domestic rabbit.