Basic Anatomy Terms for Small Animals

Basic Terms• Cheek

▫ Fleshy side of the face below the eye and above and to the side of the mouth.

• Muzzle▫ The projecting jaw that contains

the nose and mouth in some animals.

• Nose Pad▫ The tip of the nose that may be

sensitive and useful for investigating food, water, or unfamiliar objects.

▫ Called nose leather in cats.• Whiskers

▫ The long projecting hairs or bristles growing near the mouth of an animal.

• Foot Pad▫ The part of the foot that the

animal walks on.

Basic Terms• Dewlap

▫ The loose fold of skin under the chin of an animal, most prominent in female rabbits.

• Guard Hairs▫ The longer, coarse hairs

above the shorter under-fur of an animal that protects the animal from rain and cold.

• Shoulder ▫ The part of an animal’s

body just above the elbow of the foreleg.

• Elbow▫ The upper joint of the front

leg just below the shoulder.

Basic Terms• Rump

▫ The upper rounded part of the hindquarter (also called the croup).

• Stifle▫ The joint above the hock in

the hind leg of a four footed animal.

• Thigh▫ The hind limb extending

from the rump to the hock.• Flank

▫ The fleshy part of the side between the ribs and the rump.

• Hock▫ The tarsal joint or large joint

halfway up the hind limb

RUMPFlank

STIFLE

THIGH

HOCK

Basic Terms for BIRDS

• Crown▫The topmost part of

the head• Ear covert

▫The feathers covering the ears.

• Nape▫The back of the

neck.• Orbital ring

▫A ring encircling the eye of many birds.

Terms for FISH, AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES

• Brille▫ The transparent layer

permanently covering the eye that serves as the eyelid for snakes

• Fins▫ The web of skin supported with

bone or cartilage rods that enable a fish to move through thewater.

• Gills▫ The major organ of the respiratory

system of fish that allows them to breathe without lungs.

• Scales▫ Extensions of the epidermal layer

of skin that have been modified to provide protection.

• Scutes▫ Epidermal scales found on turtles.