Activity 1:

General Consideration on Animal Form

Anatomy
• Important to familiarize direction, position, movements
• Used to describe the position of parts and organs in relation to the different
representatives of species

Anatomical terminology
• Varies significantly from human body (bipedal) and animals w/ four legs
(quadrupedal) with other invertebrates’ external anatomy.

Dumaguit & Poblete, 2021

 DIRECTIONAL TERMS
With the body of a vertebrate in the horizontal position as reference

Dorsal
• Back or upper side (HA:
Posterior)
Ventral
• Underside (HA: Anterior)
Anterior/Cephalic/Cranial
• Head end of the animal (HA:
Superior)
Posterior/ Caudal
• Tail end of the animal (HA:
Inferior)
Lateral
• Sides, right or left
Median
• Middle
Dumaguit & Poblete, 2021
 DIRECTIONAL TERMS
With the body of a vertebrate in the horizontal position as reference

Proximal
• near the main mass of the body, as
the thigh
Distal
• away from the main mass of the
body, as the toes
Superficial
• on or near the surface
Deep
• some distance below the surface
Superior
• above
Inferior
• below
Dumaguit & Poblete, 2021
 PLANES
Median plane
• Vertical longitudinal plane passing from head to tail
through center of the body from dorsal to ventral
surfaces
• It divides the body into two nearly identical halves,
right and left sides.
Sagittal plane
• Any vertical longitudinal plane through the body—
that is, the median place or any parallel to it
• Sagittal planes other than median plane are
sometimes designated as parasagittal
Horizontal / Frontal plane
• Horizontal longitudinal section through the body—
that is, all planes at right angles to the median plane
and parallel to the dorsal and ventral surfaces.
Transverse / Cross plane
• Cuts vertically across the body at right angles to the
sagittal and horizontal planes

Dumaguit & Poblete, 2021

 AXES
Sagittal / Dorsoventral Axis
• Any line in the median sagittal
plane extending from dorsal to
ventral surface
Transverse / Mediolateral Axis
• Any line in the transverse plane
running from side to side
Longitudinal / Anteroposterior
Axis:
• Line in the median sagittal
plane extending from head to
tail
Dumaguit & Poblete, 2021
 ANATOMICAL TERMS

Axial
• related to the head, neck, and
trunk or torso, the axis of the
body
Appendicular
• related to the limbs and their
attachments to the axis of the
body

Dumaguit & Poblete, 2021

 ANATOMICAL TERMS
Cervical
• Neck area, the cervical vertebrae
Thoracic
• Thorax or chest
• Thoracic vertebrae
Lumbar
• Lumbar vertebrae
Sacral
• Sacrum
Coccygeal
• Tail or vertebrae of the tail,
coccygeal vertebrae
Vertebral
• Vertebrae/ spinal column
Dumaguit & Poblete, 2021
 ANATOMICAL TERMS

Cranium
• Part of the skull that encases
the brain
Frontal
• Forehead, where frontal bone
is located
Nasal
• Nose
Orbital
• Bony eye socket (the orbit)
Oral
• Mouth
Dumaguit & Poblete, 2021
 ANATOMICAL TERMS

Brachial
• proximal area of the front legs
of an animal, above the elbow
joint
Axillary
• armpit area or on the medial
aspect of where front leg meets
the torso
Antebrachium
• distal area of the front legs of
an animal, below the elbow
joint
Dumaguit & Poblete, 2021
 ANATOMICAL TERMS

Abdominal
• Abdomen
Peritoneal
• The cavity inside the abdomen
and the membrane (the
peritoneum) that lines this
cavity.

Peritoneal

Dumaguit & Poblete, 2021

 ANATOMICAL TERMS

Mammary
• mammary glands (milk-producing
glands)
Umbilical
• umbilicus/ navel
Inguinal
• pertains to the groin or the medial
aspect of the rear leg
Perineal
• region between or surrounding the
anus and the external genitalia

Dumaguit & Poblete, 2021

DIRECTIONAL & ANATOMICAL TERMS

Central
• Part of a system nearest the middle of
a animal
Peripheral
• Part nearest the surface
Pleural
• Cavity inside the chest and the
membranes that line this cavity

Dumaguit & Poblete, 2021

 ANIMAL SYMMETRY

Spherical symmetry
• Any plane passing through
the center and divides the
body into mirrored halves
• Occur in some unicellular
forms best for floating and
rolling

Dumaguit & Poblete, 2021

 ANIMAL SYMMETRY

Radial symmetry
• The body divided into similar halves
by more than two planes passing
through longitudinal axis
• Ex. Sponges, jellyfishes, sea urchins
• Tubular body forms animal
o Oral surface – mouth
o Aboral surface – the opposite end
that forms basal attachment disc

Dumaguit & Poblete, 2021

 ANIMAL SYMMETRY

Bilateral symmetry
• Divided along a sagittal plane into two mirror
portions forming right or left halves
• This is much fitted for directional (forward)
movement which is advantageous to an
animal with the head first
• Associated with cephalization
o the differentiation of a head region and
the concentration of nervous tissues and
sense organs in the front

Dumaguit & Poblete, 2021