1 : of, relating to, or being a tail. 2 : directed toward or situated in or near the tail or posterior part of the body. Other Words from caudal Example Sentences Learn More About caudal.

Caudal: An anatomic term meaning 1. Pertaining to the tail or the hind part. 2. Situated in or directed toward the tail or hind part. 3.

Directional Terms Inferior or caudal – away from the head; lower (example, the foot is part of the inferior extremity). Anterior or ventral – front (example, the kneecap is located on the anterior side of the leg). Posterior or dorsal – back (example, the shoulder blades are located on the posterior side of the body).

Caudal: toward the tail (proceeding to a lower position; the opposite of rostral). (Patestas, 4) Constituting or relating to a tail; situated near the tail. (NCIt) Editor’s note – from the Latin word for ‘tail. Above the midbrain, caudal = posterior.

Caudal — directed toward the tail (& beyond) [head, neck, trunk, tail, limbs]. Rostral/Caudal: Rostral — directed toward the nose (beak) [head].

Caudal vertebrae are the bones that make up the tails of vertebrates. They range in number from a few to fifty, depending on the length of the animal’s tail. In humans and other tailless primates, they are called the coccygeal vertebrae, number from three to five and are fused into the coccyx.

Caudal vertebrae [Coccygeal]

The physical locations of these vertebrae within the caudal sequence make them ideal for examining structural properties in different regions of the tail because they allow comparisons between all three regions of the tail, and represent vertebral segments where changes in mechanical loading should be high.

Usually there are 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral and 4 caudal (coccygeal) vertebrae. In humans, the length of the vertebral column is 71 cm in males and 61 cm in females.

Humans have 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 fused sacral, and 3 to 5 fused caudal vertebrae (together called the coccyx).

The vertebrae are divided into three groups. There are seven cervical vertebrae (names C1 through C7), twelve thoracic vertebrae (named T1 through T12), and five lumbar vertebrae (named L1 through L5).

There are 33 vertebrae in the human spine that are split into four regions that correspond to the curvature of the spine; the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum, and coccyx. The vertebrae of the sacrum and coccyx are fused, but those of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions are separated by intervertebral discs.

cervical spine

Medical Definition of vertebra : any of the bony or cartilaginous segments that make up the spinal column and that have a short more or less cylindrical body whose ends articulate by pads of elastic or cartilaginous tissue with those of adjacent vertebrae and a bony arch that encloses the spinal cord.

The atlas (C1 vertebra) does not have a body or spinous process. It consists of an anterior and a posterior arch and elongated transverse processes.

Intervertebral Disc. The bodies of adjacent vertebrae are separated and united by an intervertebral disc, which provides padding and allows for movements between adjacent vertebrae. The disc consists of a fibrous outer layer called the anulus fibrosus and a gel-like center called the nucleus pulposus.

atlas

The uppermost (C1) cervical vertebrae; supports the skull. It is readily identifiable because it lacks both a body and a spinous process.

Spinous process is a bony projection off the posterior (back) of each vertebra. The spinous process protrudes where the laminae of the vertebral arch join and provides the point of attachment for muscles and ligaments of the spine.

In humans the seventh cervical vertebra tends to have the longest spinous processes (and is therefore often called the “vertebra prominens”).

The spinous process (SP) of the seventh cervical vertebra (C7) is characterized as the most prominent, which makes it an anatomical landmark for the recognition of other SPs.

L5 has the largest body and transverse processes of all vertebrae. The anterior aspect of the body has a greater height compared to the posterior. This creates the lumbosacral angle between the lumbar region of the vertebrae and the sacrum.

In standing or sitting positions, it can be located simply by flexing the head and the neck: the most prominent “bump” on the back of the neck is the spinous process of this vertebra.

A spinous process is the thin, bony projection that extends off the back of each vertebrae. If you run your hand down your back, you can feel the spinous processes.

Count up one level and find the spinous process of L4. The L4 spinous process is typically larger than the L5 process. To double check place your hands on the iliac crests with your thumbs pointing towards one another which will put you in the region of L4. Count up from L4 to identify L1.