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epitheliochorial placenta

zoology

Quick Summary

The epitheliochorial placenta is a type of placenta found in animals like hippopotamuses and pigs. In this arrangement, a layer of fetal tissue is pressed against the mother's uterine wall. Unlike more advanced placental types, there is no erosion of the maternal tissues. However, the capillaries beneath the fetal and maternal layers can be very close, allowing for some exchange. The fingerlike projections, or villi, that facilitate contact with the uterus are evenly distributed in epitheliochorial placentas. This type of placenta is less intimate than others, such as the hemochorial placenta found in higher primates, where there are fewer or no cellular layers separating maternal and fetal blood.12

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