Re: How does a giraff pump blood all the way up that long neck to the brain?

Giraffes get blood to their brain by brute force; they have the highest normal blood pressure measured in any animal. In fact, they have special ways to keep their brains from being overwhelmed by blood. A network of tiny, very elastic, arteries at the base of their brain (called the rete mirabile) let the giraffe store blood by the brain; it also keeps the brain from being flooded with blood when the giraffe puts its head down to drink. And giraffes have many more valves in their veins than most mammals to prevent blood from flowing back to the brain when it's on its way back to the heart.

Diane Kelly