Basic Anatomy Terms for Small Animals

Basic Terms Cheek Muzzle Nose Pad Whiskers Foot Pad 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 Guard Hairs Shoulder Elbow 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 Stifle Thigh Flank Hock 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 Flank RUMP 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.