Subendothelial fibrillar laminae in the carotid arteries of the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis).

The endothelium in the carotid arteries of the giraffe lies on an extensive basement membrane complex that has a distinctly fibrillar component. Small electron-dense areas occur in the basal portion of the endothelium and normally in apposition to the fibrillar laminae of the basement membrane. These zones are believed here to constitute hemi-desmosomes where endothelial attachment may be most tenacious.