| dorsal | pertaining to the back; closer to the back; away from the ground |
| ventral | pertaining to the belly; closer to the belly; towards the ground |
| cranial | p.t. the head; closer to the head |
| caudal | p.t. the tail; closer to the tail |
| medial | p.t. the middle; closer to the median plane; closer to midline |
| lateral | p.t. the side; further from the median plane; further from the midline |
| proximal | p.t. to the beginning; nearer the point of attachment |
| distal | p.t. far from the point of attachment; farther from the point of attachment |
| superficial | nearer the surface of the body |
| deep | farther from the surface of the body |
| planter | p.t. the caudal surface of the rear paws (pes) and tarsus |
| palmar | p.t. the caudal surface of the front paws (manus) and carpus |
| rostral | p.t. the nose; closer to the nose |
| anterior | p.t. the front side of the body |
| posterior | p.t. the back side of the body |
| dorsal recumbency | animal is lying on its back |
| ventral recumbency | animal is lying on its belly |
| lateral recumbency | animal is lying on its side |
| intervertebral disk | cartilage pad between vertebrae used for cushion and support |
| vertebra | backbone |
| vertebrae | backbones |
| dorsal plane | divides body into a belly side (ventral) and a back side (dorsal) |
| median plane | divides the body into equal left and right sides |
| sagittal plane | divides the body into unequal left and right sides |
| transverse plan | divides the body into cranial and caudal halves |
| cervical (C) | neck area |
| thoracic (T) | chest area |
| lumbar (L) | lower back area (waist) |
| sacral (S) | sacrum |
| Caudal; coccygeal (Ca; Cy) | tail area |
| dog & cat vertebral formulas | C7 T13 L7 S3 Ca(Cy)3-24 |
| horse vertebral formula | C7 T18 L6 S5 Ca(Cy)15-21 |
