Organs and Definitions
Digestive System
● Tongue / Salivary Glands = Help chew and start digestion with saliva.
● Pharynx = Connects mouth to esophagus
● Papillae (taste buds) = Sense taste
● Soft palate / Hard palate = Separate mouth from nasal cavity; help with swallowing
● Esophagus = Moves food to stomach
● Stomach = breaks down food with acid
● Liver = Makes bile to digest fat
● Small Intestine = Absorbs nutrients - helps with digestion
● Duodenum = Mixes food with bile and enzymes - helps with digestion
● Ileum (Jejunum) = Absorbs nutrients from food
● Large Intestine (colon) = Absorbs water from food; forms poop
● Cecum = Helps digest plants
● Gallbladder / Bile duct = Stores and sends bile to small intestine
● Pancreas = Makes enzymes and insulin
● Pyloric Sphincter / Cardiac Sphincter = control food going in/out of stomach (pyloric
makes sure food goes to the small intestine; cardiac makes sure food doesn't go back
into the stomach)
● Mesentery = Holds intestines in place.
● Rectum = Stores poop
● Anus = Releases poop
Respiratory
● Diaphragm = Muscle that helps with breathing (main muscle for inhaling and exhaling)
● Trachea = Windpipe - connects larynx to lungs
● Cartilaginous rings = Keeps trachea open
● Bronchial tubes = Carry air into lungs
● Larynx = Voice box - makes sound
● Epiglottis = Covers trachea when swallowing
● Pharynx(throat) = Connects nose/mouth to trachea and esophagus
● Lungs = Take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide
Urogenital (Reproductive + Excretory)
● Kidneys = filter waste from blood
● Ureter = carries urine from kidneys to bladder
● Urinary bladder = stores urine
● Urethra = releases urine out of the body
● Urogenital opening (urogenital papillae) = opening for urine and reproductive fluids
Male Reproductive System
● Scrotum / Testes = testes make sperm and scrotum carries testes
● Epididymis / Vas deferens = epididymis is where sperm mature and are stored and vas
deferens is the tube that carries the sperm to the penis
● Penis = Releases sperm and urine
Female Reproductive System
● Ovaries = Makes eggs and hormones
● Uterine horn (fallopian tube)= Carry eggs to uterus
● Uterus / Vagina = uterus holds the baby if pregnant; vagina is the birth canal and where
sperm enters
Circulatory System and Heart
● Atria / Ventricles = atria receive blood and ventricles pump blood out
● Pericardium = Protective sac around the heart
● Coronary Arteries = makes sure the heart has constant blood supply
● Pulmonary arteries = carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs
● Superior(upper body) and Inferior(lower body) Vena Cava = bring deoxygenated blood
from the body to the heart
● Internal and External Jugular veins = Drain blood from the head and neck
● Vena Cavae = largest vein in the body and carries deoxygenated blood back to the heart
● Pulmonary Veins = Carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart
● Brachiocephalic = Carries blood to right arm, head, and neck
● Aorta and Aortic Arch = Aorta is the main artery from the heart that distributes blood to
the rest of the body and the aortic arch distributes blood to the head, neck, and upper
extremities.
● Common carotid / Left and Right Carotid = Carry blood to the brain and head
● Abdominal Aorta = Brings blood to lower body
● Umbilical Vessels = Carry blood between fetus and placenta
● Mesenteric Artery = Feeds intestines with blood
● Renal Artery = Sends blood to kidneys
● Intercostal arteries = supply blood to ribs and chest muscles
Miscellaneous
● Thyroid = Controls metabolism with hormones
● Spleen = Filters blood and helps fight germs
● Masseter Muscle = helps with chewing
● Lymph nodes = trap germs and support the immune system
● Nipples = deliver milk in females; no function in male