Planes/Cavities

superior (aka in humans: "cranial") /toward the head end or upper part of a structure or the body; above

inferior aka in humans: "caudal" /away from the head end or toward the lower part of a structure or the body; below

ventral aka in humans: "anterior" /toward or on or near the belly (front of a primate or lower surface of a lower animal)

dorsal aka in humans: "posterior" /towards the back side of the body.

medial /toward or at the midline of the body; on the inner side of

lateral /away from the midline of the body; on the outer side of

intermediate /between a more medial and a more lateral structure

proximal /closer to the origin of the body part or the point of attachment of a limb to the body trunk

distal /farther from the origin of a body part or the point of attachment of a limb to the body trunk

superficial aka "external" /toward or at the body surface

deep aka "internal" /away from or at the surface; more internal

anatomical position /standard reference position in which the body is facing forward, feet are parallel, and the arms are at the sides with palms facing forward

axial /pertaining to the central part of the body, the head, neck, and trunk

appendicular /consist of the appendages, or limbs, which are attached to the bodies axis.

sagittal plane /vertical division of the body into right and left portions

midsagittal (aka median plane) /divides the body into right and left halves, and is located in the very center of the plane.

coronal plane (aka frontal plane) /separates body from front and back. (Ventral or anterior = front half and dorsal or posterior = back half)

transverse plane (aka horizontal plane) /separates upper and lower halves of the body. (superior = upper half and inferior = lower half)

dorsal body cavity /cavity near the dorsal or posterior surface of the body that consists of the cranial cavity & spinal (vertebral) cavity

cranial cavity /space inside the skull containing the brain

spinal cavity (aka vertebral cavity) /a dorsal body cavity within the spinal column that contains the spinal cord.

ventral body cavity /cavity along the anterior side of the body made of the abdominopelvic cavity and the thoracic cavity

viscera (singular: viscus) /the organs that are contained within the ventral body cavity

abdominopelvic cavity /the portion of the ventral body cavity that is inferior to the diaphragm

thoracic cavity /the superior ventral body cavity that is surrounded by the ribs and muscles of the chest.

serous membrane (aka serosa) /a double-layered membrane that covers the walls of the ventral body cavity and the outer surfaces of the organs within this cavity