Early in development (5–6 mm stage), a transient artery known as the ventral pharyngeal artery (VPA) originates from the ventral aortic roots cranial to the third aortic arch (Bertulli and Robert 2021; Hu et al. 2018). When the first and second aortic arches regress, the VPA extends directly from the distal ventral aorta, its distal segment merging with the maxillomandibular branch of the stapedial artery from the regressing second aortic arch to form the primitive external carotid artery (ECA) (Bertulli and Robert 2021; Hu et al. 2018; Menshawi et al. 2015; Tanoue et al. 2013; Rao et al. 2014). The more proximal portion of the VPA fuses with the internal carotid artery (ICA) to form the common carotid artery (CCA) (Menshawi et al. 2015).