Studied by 17 people
Anatomical features (mostly bones) common to all tetrapods
Superior
Anatomical direction referring to the “head” end of an organism.
Medial
An anatomical direction going toward the middle line of an organism’s body.
Lateral
Anatomical direction going away from the middle line of an organism’s body.
Proximal
The anatomical direction on a limb which leads to its point of attachment/the main body.
Distal
Anatomical direction on a limb leading away from its point of attachment/the main body.
Anterior
The anatomical direction describing the front/underside of an organism.
Posterior
The anatomical direction which describes the back or topside of an organism.
Inferior
The anatomical direction which is away from the head, i.e. at the opposite end.
Cephalic
Alternative term for the anatomical direction going toward the head.
Caudal
Alternative term for the anatomical direction which goes away from the head.
Ventral
Different term for the anatomical direction for the front/underside of an organism.
Dorsal
Alternative term for the anatomical direction of the back or topside of an organism.
Quadrupedal
An organism that walks on four legs.
Bipedal
Organism that walks on two legs.
Appendage
A structure that is attached to the main body.
Axial Skeleton
The part of the skeleton composed of bones in the core body, like the skull, ribcage, and vertebra.
Appendicular Skeleton
A part of the skeleton which consists of appendages.
Ossicles
Inner ear bones.
Atlas
Topmost vertebra.
Axis
Second topmost vertebra, forms joint connecting skull and spine.
Cervical vertebrae
Top section of vertebrae, usually 7 in number.
Thoracic vertebrae
Long section of vertebrae, making up the upper back of the organism.
Lumbar vertebrae
Relatively short section of vertebrae, forms the lower back.
Sacrum
A structure composed of fused vertebrae, the base of the spine.
Coccyx
The base of the tail, or a vestigial tail structure.
Mandible
Lower jawbone.
Maxilla
Upper jawbone.
Nasal bone
Bone which forms the bridge of the nose.
Auditory bulla
Hollow, rounded structure in the skull partly enclosing the middle and inner ear.
Supraorbital process
A bony elongation located above the eye socket
Zygomatic arch
Bridge of bone extending from the temporal bone (side of the skull) to the maxilla.
Sagittal crest
Ridge of bone running lengthwise along the midline at the top of the skull.
Sternum
Long, flat bone located in the center of the chest.
Manubri sterni
Upper part of the sternum.
Xiphoid process
Cartilaginous extension of the lower part of the sternum.
Keel
Extension of the sternum found in birds.
Clavicle
Bones that stretch ventrally across the shoulders, help form the shoulder girdle.
Scapula
A pair of bones that lie dorsally along the chest cavity, help form the shoulder girdle.
Humerus
Long bone in the upper arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow.
Radius
One of two bones that makes up the forearm, on the lateral side.
Ulna
One of two bones that makes up the forearm, on the medial side.
Carpals
Bones of the wrist, connect the bones of the forearm to hand bones.
Metacarpals
Bones of the hand.
Phalanges
Bones of the fingers.
Ilium
Large, broad pair of bones forming each half of the pelvis.
Ischium
Curved bone forming the base of each half of the pelivs.
Pubis
Pubic bones, at the front of the pelvis.
Femur
Superior bone in the leg, forms the thigh.
Patella
The knee cap, protects the joint between the upper and lower leg bones.
Tibia
Larger of the two bones in the lower leg, connected to the knee and ankle joints.
Fibula
Smaller of the two bones in the lower leg, supports the tibia.
Calcaneus
Bone of the tarsus which constitutes the heel in primates and the hock in some other species.
Tarsals
Short, angular bones that make up the ankle.
Metatarsals
Five bones that make up the feet.
Phalanges (feet)
The bones that make up the toes.
Plastron
Ventral side of a turtle’s shell.
Carapace
Dorsal side of a turtle’s shell.
