Description: In this study, mapping of ultrashort T 2 and T 2 * of acutely isolated porcine menisci at B 0  = 9.4 T was investigated. Maps of T 2 were measured from a slice through the pars intermedia with a spin echo-prepared two-dimensional ultrashort-TE T 2 mapping technique published previously. T 2 * mapping was performed by two-dimensional ultrashort-TE MRI with variable acquisition delay. The measured signal decays were fitted by monoexponential, biexponential and Gaussian-exponential fitting functions. The occurrence of Gaussian-like signal decays is outlined theoretically. The quality of the curve fits was visualized by mapping the value δ = abs(1 – χ 2 red ). For T 2 * mapping, the Gaussian-exponential fit showed the best performance, whereas the monoexponential and biexponential fits showed regionally high values of δ ( δ 〉 20). Interpretation of the Gaussian-exponential parameter maps was found to be difficult, because a Gaussian signal component can be related to mesoscopic (collagen texture) or macroscopic (slice profile, shim, sample geometry) magnetic field inhomogeneities and/or residual 1 H dipole–dipole couplings. It seems likely that an interplay of these effects yielded the observed signal decays. Modulation of the T 2 * signal decay caused by chemical shift was observed and addressed to fat protons by means of histology. In the T 2 measurements, no modulation of the signal decay was observed and the biexponential and Gaussian-exponential fits showed the best performance with comparable values of δ . Our results suggest that T 2 mapping provides the more robust method for the characterization of meniscal tissue by means of MRI relaxometry. However, mapping of ultrashort T 2 , as performed in this study, is time consuming and provides less signal-to-noise ratio per time than the mapping of T 2 *. If T 2 * mapping is used, pixel-wise monitoring of the fitting quality based on reduced χ 2 should be employed and great care should be taken when interpreting the parameter maps of the fits. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Mapping of ultrashort T 2 and T 2 * of isolated porcine menisci was investigated. The signal decays were fitted by monoexponential (ME), biexponential (BIE) and Gaussian-exponential (GE) fitting functions. The occurrence of Gaussian-like T 2 * signal decays is theoretically outlined. The quality of the fit was pixel-wise visualized by mapping of δ  = abs(1 –  χ 2 red ). The GE and BIE fits showed the best performance. The results suggest that T 2 mapping is more robust than T 2 * mapping in the context of MRI relaxometry of menisci.