head

adult head

The head is the anterior-most division of the body [GO].

Typ Organ
Übergeordnete Struktur subdivision of organism along main body axis
Lateinischer Name adult head
FMA ID 7154

Unterstrukturen

panarthropod head Organ embryonic head Organ insect larval head Organ

Häufig gestellte Fragen

What structures are contained within the vertebrate head?
The vertebrate head contains the brain and brainstem (protected by the cranial vault), cranial nerves (12 pairs in humans), major sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue), the jaw apparatus for feeding, teeth, major blood vessels (carotid arteries, jugular veins), and in many species, the trachea and esophageal openings.
How is the head distinguished from the neck anatomically?
The head is demarcated from the neck at the base of the skull (craniocervical junction), where the foramen magnum allows the brainstem to continue as the spinal cord. The atlas (C1) and axis (C2) vertebrae support the head and enable its rotational movements.
What is the evolutionary significance of cephalization?
Cephalization is the evolutionary tendency for nervous tissue, sensory organs, and feeding apparatus to concentrate in an anterior head region. This improves coordination of the body's leading end — the first part to encounter the environment — providing evolutionary advantages in prey detection, predator avoidance, and feeding efficiency.

Verwandte Strukturen

mucus body coating mucous body coating mucus cocoon mucous cocoon Mullerian duct ductus paramesonephricus multi cell part structure cell part cluster multicellular anatomical structure multicellular structure multilaminar epithelium laminated epithelium multi-tissue structure multi-tissue structures multi-unit eye

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Data sources: Terminologia Anatomica, Foundational Model of Anatomy, Wikidata.