Blood vessel prevent backflow as a result of a decrease in blood pressure as the blood passes through the circulatory system. There are various kinds of blood vessels: They are roughly grouped as "arterial" and "venous", determined by whether the blood in it is flowing "away from" (arterial) or "toward" (venous) the heart. The term "arterial blood" is nevertheless used to indicate blood high in oxygen, although the pulmonary artery carries "venous blood" and blood flowing in the pulmonary vein is rich in oxygen. This is because they are carrying the blood to and from the lungs, respectively, to be oxygenated. Blood
Vein vs. systemic, and large vs. small. Most veins are equipped with valves to prevent blood flowing in the reverse direction. Veins are translucent, so the color a vein appears from an organism's exterior is determined in large part by the color of venous blood, which is usually dark red as a result of its low oxygen content. Veins appear blue because the subcutaneous fat absorbs low-frequency light, permitting only the highly energetic blue wavelengths to penetrate through to the dark vein and reflect back to the viewer. The colour of a vein can be affected by the characteristics of a