|
| caudal | - | Refers to the tail or tail-like structures. The opposite of cephalic or cranial. |
| cephalic | - | Cranial; refers to the head. The opposite of caudal. |
| cranial | - | Refers to the cranium (head). |
| distal | - | Farthest from the centre, from the midline or from the point of attachment. The opposite of proximal. |
| dorsal | - | Refers to the back. The opposite of ventral. |
| lateral | - | Refers to the side of the body. |
| medial | - | Refers to a position near the middle or midline. Median refers to a structure or section in the middle or midline. |
| Median | - | Refers to a structure or section in the middle or midline. |
| proximal | - | Nearest to the centre, to the midline, or to the point of attachment. The opposite of distal. |
| ventral | - | Pertaining to the belly. The opposite of dorsal. |
| Note: In human anatomy, the terms anterior and posterior are used instead of ventral and dorsal, and the terms superior and inferior are used to replace cranial and caudal. If you have studied human anatomy and are confused by the change in terms, think of the human being as a quadruped (on hands and knees), and the use of the terms dorsal, ventral, cranial and caudal should become clearer. However, this does not hold true for the terms anterior and superior. For an explanation to sort this confusion out, take a look at some diagrammatic people. |
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Special thanks to Hans Christoffersen for the
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Send comments to:
Dr. Steven Scadding ( scadding@uoguelph.ca ) or Sandra Frombach (sfrombac@uoguelph.ca),
Department of Zoology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1.
Last Revision: August 10, 1998