Final answer:
Muscular arteries, also known as distributing arteries, are equipped to receive blood under extremely high pressure. They have thick walls containing a high amount of smooth muscle in their tunica media, allowing them to play a leading role in vasoconstriction.
Step-by-step explanation:
Muscular arteries, also known as distributing arteries, are equipped to receive blood under extremely high pressure.
They have thick walls containing a high amount of smooth muscle in their tunica media, allowing them to play a leading role in vasoconstriction.
While elastic arteries closer to the heart have the thickest walls with abundant elastic fibers, muscular arteries farther from the heart have a decreased quantity of elastic fibers.
This limits their ability to expand, but the blood pressure has eased by the time it reaches these arteries, making elasticity less important.