Where are the carotid bodies located in the neck?

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A pine grosbeak with pink and gray plumage perches on a branch, eating red berries among autumn foliage. — Chemoreception Animals, such as this pine grosbeak, use chemoreception to respond to chemicals that can be tasted and smelled in their environments. Many of these chemicals affect behaviors such as food preference and defense.

The two carotid bodies are small organs located in the neck at the bifurcation—the point of division—of each of the two common carotid arteries into the internal and external carotid arteries. These structures serve as peripheral chemoreceptors that monitor arterial blood, responding to changes in the partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide to help regulate respiratory activity.12