"Anatomical structure" refers to any part of the human body. It can be either visible to the naked eye (gross anatomical structure) or microscopic. Most anatomical structures will be co-typed with a more specific type, such as bone or artery. For more information, please see the Freebase wiki page...
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2,916 Anatomical structure topics matching:
Filter this Collection| x name | x image | x article |
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| x Axon |
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An axon (also known as a nerve fiber) is a long, slender projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, that typically conducts electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body. In certain sensory neurons (pseudounipolar neurons), such as those for...
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| x Aorta |
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The aorta ( /eɪˈɔrtə/; from Greek ἀορτή - aortē, from ἀείρω - aeirō "I lift, raise") is the largest artery in the body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it bifurcates into two smaller arteries...
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| x Dendrite |
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A long, branching outgrowth or extension from a neuron, that carries electrical signals from synapses to the cell body; any structure that resembles a dendrite.
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| x Entorhinal cortex |
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The entorhinal cortex (EC) (ento = interior, rhino = nose, entorinal = interior to the rhinal sulcus). is located in the medial temporal lobe and functions as a hub in a widespread network for memory and navigation. The EC is the main interface...
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| x Rectum |
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The rectum (from the Latin rectum intestinum, meaning straight intestine) is the final straight portion of the large intestine in some mammals, and the gut in others, terminating in the anus. The human rectum is about 12 centimetres (4.7 in) long....
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| x Spermatozoon |
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A spermatozoon (alternate spelling spermatozoön; plural spermatozoa) is a motile sperm cell, or moving form of the haploid cell that is the male gamete. A spermatozoon joins an ovum to form a zygote. (A zygote is a single cell, with a complete set...
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| x Uterus |
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The uterus (from Latin "uterus", plural uteri or "uteruses") or womb is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina, while the other is connected to one or...
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| x Urinary bladder |
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The urinary bladder is the organ that collects urine excreted by the kidneys before disposal by urination. A hollow muscular, and distensible (or elastic) organ, the bladder sits on the pelvic floor. Urine enters the bladder via the ureters and...
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| x Vagina |
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The vagina (from Latin vāgīna, literally "sheath" or "scabbard") is a fibromuscular tubular tract which is a sex organ and has two main functions; sexual intercourse and childbirth. In humans, this passage leads from the opening of the vulva to the...
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| x White matter |
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White matter is one of the two components of the central nervous system and consists mostly of glial cells and myelinated axons that transmit signals from one region of the cerebrum to another and between the cerebrum and lower brain centers. White...
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| x Cranial nerves |
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Cranial nerves are nerves that emerge directly from the brain, in contrast to spinal nerves, which emerge from segments of the spinal cord. In humans, there are traditionally twelve pairs of cranial nerves. Only the first and the second pair emerge...
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| x Vagus nerve |
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The vagus nerve ( /ˈveɪɡəs/ US dict: vā′·gəs), also called pneumogastric nerve or cranial nerve X, is the tenth of twelve (excluding CN0) paired cranial nerves. Upon leaving the medulla between the medullary pyramid and the inferior cerebellar...
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| x Grey matter |
Grey matter (or gray matter) is a major component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cell bodies, neuropil (dendrites and unmyelinated axons), glial cells (astroglia and oligodendrocytes) and capillaries. Grey matter contains...
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| x Putamen |
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The putamen is a round structure located at the base of the forebrain (telencephalon). The putamen and caudate nucleus together form the dorsal striatum. It is also one of the structures that comprises the basal ganglia. Through various pathways,...
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| x Pancreas |
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The pancreas /ˈpæŋkriəs/ is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, and pancreatic polypeptide, and a...
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| x Mesoderm |
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In all bilaterian animals, the mesoderm is one of the three primary germ cell layers in the very early embryo. The other two layers are the ectoderm (outside layer) and endoderm (inside layer), with the mesoderm as the middle layer between them.
The...
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| x Stomach |
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The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the digestion system which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects (mid-gut), and molluscs. It is involved in the second...
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| x Broca's area |
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Broca's area is a region of the hominid brain with functions linked to speech production.
The production of language has been linked to the Broca’s area since Pierre Paul Broca reported impairments in two patients. They had lost the ability to speak...
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| x Peritoneum |
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The peritoneum ( /ˌpɛrɨtənˈiəm/) is the serous membrane that forms the lining of the abdominal cavity or the coelom—it covers most of the intra-abdominal (or coelomic) organs—in amniotes and some invertebrates (annelids, for instance). It is...
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| x Substantia nigra |
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The substantia nigra is a brain structure located in the mesencephalon (midbrain) that plays an important role in reward, addiction, and movement. Substantia nigra is Latin for "black substance", reflecting the fact that parts of the substantia...
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| x Atlas |
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In anatomy, the atlas (C1) is the most superior (first) cervical vertebra of the spine.
It is named for the Atlas of Greek mythology, because it supports the globe of the head.
The atlas is the topmost vertebra, and – along with the Axis – forms the...
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| x Scrotum |
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In some male mammals, the scrotum is a dual-chambered protuberance of skin and muscle, containing the testicles and divided by a septum. It is an extension of the perineum, and is located between the penis and anus. In humans and some other mammals,...
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| x Prostate |
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The prostate (from Greek προστάτης - prostates, literally "one who stands before", "protector", "guardian") is a compound tubuloalveolar exocrine gland of the male reproductive system in most mammals.
In 2002, female paraurethral glands, or Skene's...
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| x Inner ear |
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The inner ear is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in the temporal bone of the skull with a system of passages comprising two main functional parts:
The inner ear is found in all...
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| x Outer ear |
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The outer ear is the external portion of the ear, which consists of the pinna, concha, and external auditory meatus. It gathers sound energy and focuses it on the eardrum (tympanic membrane). One consequence of the configuration of the external ear...
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| x Pituitary gland |
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In vertebrate anatomy the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing 0.5 grams (0.018 oz) in humans. It is not a part of the brain. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of...
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| x Hypothalamus |
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The hypothalamus (from Greek ὑπό = under and θάλαμος = room, chamber) is a portion of the brain that contains a number of small nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions of the hypothalamus is to link the nervous system...
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| x Colon |
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The colon is the last part of the digestive system in most vertebrates; it extracts water and salt from solid wastes before they are eliminated from the body, and is the site in which flora-aided (largely bacterial) fermentation of unabsorbed...
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| x Large intestine |
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The large intestine (or "large bowel") is the third-to-last part of the digestive system in vertebrate animals. Its function is to absorb water from the remaining indigestible food matter, and then to pass useless waste material from the body. This...
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| x Pharynx |
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The human pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat situated immediately posterior to (behind) the mouth and nasal cavity, and superior to the esophagus and larynx. The human pharynx is conventionally divided into three sections: the...
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| x Carpus |
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In tetrapods, the carpus is the sole cluster of bones in the wrist between the radius and ulna and the metacarpus. The bones of the carpus do not belong to individual fingers (or toes in quadrupeds), whereas those of the metacarpus do. The...
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| x Thoracic cavity |
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The thoracic cavity (or chest cavity) is the chamber of the human body (and other animal bodies) that is protected by the thoracic wall (thoracic cage and associated skin, muscle, and fascia).
The thoracic area includes the tendons as well as the...
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| x Abdominal cavity |
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The abdominal cavity is the body cavity of the human body (and animal bodies) that holds the bulk of the viscera. It is located below (or inferior to) the thoracic cavity, and above the pelvic cavity. Its dome-shaped roof is the thoracic diaphragm ...
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| x Mucous membrane |
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The mucous membranes (or mucosae; singular mucosa) are linings of mostly endodermal origin, covered in epithelium, which are involved in absorption and secretion. They line cavities that are exposed to the external environment and internal organs....
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| x Duodenum |
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The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine in most higher vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In fish, the divisions of the small intestine are not as clear, and the terms anterior intestine or proximal intestine may...
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| x Trachea |
Trachea may refer to:
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| x Exocrine gland |
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Exocrine glands are a type of ductal glands that secrete their products (including digestive enzymes, and some hormone chemical messengers) into ducts that lead directly into the external environment. They are the counterparts to endocrine glands,...
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| x Thalamus |
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The thalamus (from Greek θάλαμος = inner chamber) is a midline symmetrical structure within the brains of vertebrates including humans, situated between the cerebral cortex and midbrain. Its function includes relaying sensory and motor signals to...
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| x Ossicles |
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The ossicles (also called auditory ossicles) are the three smallest bones in the human body. They are contained within the middle ear space and serve to transmit sounds from the air to the fluid-filled labyrinth (cochlea). The absence of the...
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| x Incus |
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The incus or anvil is the anvil-shaped small bone or ossicle in the middle ear. Incus means "anvil" in Latin. It connects the malleus to the stapes. It was first described by Alessandro Achillini of Bologna.
The incus transmits sound vibrations from...
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| x Malleus |
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The malleus or hammer is a hammer-shaped small bone or ossicle of the middle ear which connects with the incus and is attached to the inner surface of the eardrum. The word is Latin for hammer.
It transmits the sound vibrations from the eardrum to...
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| x Stapes |
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The stapes is the stirrup-shaped small bone or ossicle in the middle ear which is attached through the incudostapedial joint to the incus laterally and to the fenestra ovalis, the "oval window", medially. Stapes means stirrup in Latin. The oval...
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| x Basal ganglia |
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The basal ganglia (or basal nuclei) are a group of nuclei of varied origin in the brains of vertebrates that act as a cohesive functional unit. They are situated at the base of the forebrain and are strongly connected with the cerebral cortex,...
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| x Cecum |
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The cecum or caecum ( /ˈsiːkəm/, plural /ˈsiːkə/; from the Latin caecus meaning blind) is a pouch, usually peritoneal, that is considered to be the beginning of the large intestine. It receives fecal material from the ileum, and connects to the...
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| x Ileum |
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The ileum /ˈɪliːəm/ is the final section of the small intestine in most higher vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In fish, the divisions of the small intestine are not as clear and the terms posterior intestine or distal intestine...
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| x Jejunum |
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The jejunum is the middle section of the small intestine in most higher vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In fish, the divisions of the small intestine are not as clear and the terms middle intestine or mid-gut may be used instead...
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| x Vermiform appendix |
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The appendix (or vermiform appendix; also cecal (or caecal) appendix; also vermix) is a blind-ended tube connected to the cecum (or caecum), from which it develops embryologically. The cecum is a pouchlike structure of the colon. The appendix is...
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| x Oval window |
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The oval window (or vestibular window) is a membrane-covered opening which leads from the middle ear to the vestibule of the inner ear.
Vibrations that come into contact with the tympanic membrane travel through the three ossicles and into the inner...
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| x Eardrum |
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The eardrum, or tympanic membrane, is a thin, cone-shaped membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear in humans and other tetrapods. Its function is to transmit sound from the air to the ossicles inside the middle ear. The malleus...
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| x Coronary circulation |
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Coronary circulation is the circulation of blood in the blood vessels of the heart muscle (the myocardium). The vessels that deliver oxygen-rich blood to the myocardium are known as coronary arteries. The vessels that remove the deoxygenated blood...
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| x Optic nerve |
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The optic nerve, also known as cranial nerve 2, transmits visual information from the retina to the brain. Derived from the embryonic retinal ganglion cell, a diverticulum located in the diencephalon, the optic nerve does not regenerate after...
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| x Pudendal nerve |
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The pudendal nerve is a sensory and somatic nerve in the pelvic region that innervates the external genitalia of both sexes, as well as sphincters for the bladder and the rectum. It originates in Onuf's nucleus in the sacral region of the spinal...
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| x Neurolemma |
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Neurolemma (also known as neurilemma or sheath of Schwann) is the outermost nucleated cytoplasmic layer of Schwann cells that surrounds the axon of the neuron. It forms the outermost layer of the nerve fiber in the peripheral nervous system.
The...
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| x Bartholin's gland |
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The Bartholin's glands (also called Bartholin glands or greater vestibular glands) are two glands located slightly posterior and to the left and right of the opening of the vagina. They secrete mucus to lubricate the vagina and are homologous to...
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| x Esophagus |
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The esophagus (oesophagus) is an organ in vertebrates which consists of a muscular tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach. During swallowing, food passes from the mouth through the pharynx into the esophagus and travels via...
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| x Bulbourethral gland |
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A bulbourethral gland, also called a Cowper's gland for anatomist William Cowper, is one of two small exocrine glands present in the reproductive system of human males. They are homologous to Bartholin's glands in females.
Bulbourethral glands are...
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| x Amnion |
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The amnion is a membrane building the amniotic sac that surrounds and protects an embryo. It is developed in reptiles, birds, and mammals, which are hence called “Amniota”; but not in amphibians and fish (Ichthyopsida), which are consequently termed...
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| x Ureter |
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In human anatomy, the ureters are tubes made of smooth muscle fibers that propel urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder. In the adult, the ureters are usually 25–30 cm (10–12 in) long and ~3-4 mm in diameter.
In humans, the ureters arise from...
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| x Levator ani |
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The levator ani is a broad, thin muscle, situated on the side of the pelvis.
It is attached to the inner surface of the side of the lesser pelvis, and unites with its fellow of the opposite side to form the greater part of the floor of the pelvic...
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| x Femur |
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The femur (pl. femurs or femora), or thigh bone, is the most proximal (closest to the center of the body) bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and...
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