Fig. 1. Vascular anatomy of ball python. (A–C) Right is cranial, left is caudal, top is ventral, and bottom is dorsal; (D,E) cross-sectional ultrasonographs, ventral is top of images. (A) Schematic drawing of major arteries (adopted from Hafferl, 1933). (B) Situs dissection of the aorta with branches of the mesenteric arteries. The gall bladder had been removed, the broken line indicating its original position. (C) Doppler-ultrasonographic anatomy of the aorta and first mesenteric artery. Color coding indicates direction and velocity of the blood stream. (D) Doppler-ultrasonographic anatomy of the liver (cross-section) and pulse waved (PW)-Doppler measurements from the liver portal vein (blue). Two small lung-arteries (red) run outside the liver. (E) PW-Doppler from the liver vein (blue). Liver vein and portal vein are opposite each other, blood flow is in the same direction. Portal vein and liver vein are interconnected by numerous sinusoids.