Animal Anatomy-Directional Terms

Dorsal

toward the back

Ventral

toward the belly

Frontal Plane

divides the animal into Dorsal and Ventral

Cranial

toward the head

Caudal

toward the tail

Transverse Plane

divide the animal into cranial and caudal

Rostral

(only on the head) towards the nose

Medial

towards the mid-line

Lateral

away from the mid-line

Median Plane/Mid-line

divides the animal into equal, mirrored, right and left parts/into medial and lateral

Saggital Plane

divides the animal into unequal right and left parts/parallel to the median plane

Proximal

near the body/trunk

Distal

away from the body/trunk

Superficial

near the surface

Deep

deep under the surface

Anterior

(upright animals) toward the front

Posterior

(upright animals) toward the back

Palmar

caudal aspect of the distal anterior limb (palm of the hand)

Plantar

caudal aspect of the distal posterior limb (bottom of the foot)