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A body orifice is any opening in the body of an animal.
External
In a typical mammalian body such as the human body, the external body orifices are:
- The nostrils, for breathing and the associated sense of smell
- The mouth, for eating, drinking, breathing, and vocalizations such as speech
- The ear canals, for the sense of hearing
- The nasolacrimal ducts, to carry tears from the lacrimal sac into the nasal cavity
- The anus, for defecation
- The urinary meatus, for urination in males and females and ejaculation in males
- In females, the vagina, for menstruation, copulation and birth
- The nipple orifices
Other animals may have some other body orifices:
- cloaca, in birds, reptiles, amphibians, and a few mammals, such as monotremes.
- siphon in mollusks, arthropods, and some other animals
Internal
Internal orifices include the orifices of the outflow tracts of the heart, between the heart valves.
See also
References
- Hall, Margaret I.; Rodriguez-Sosa, José R.; Plochocki, Jeffrey H. (2017-08-23). "Reorganization of mammalian body wall patterning with cloacal septation". Scientific Reports. 7 (1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-09359-y. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 5569103.