Body orifice

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A body orifice is any opening in the body of an organism.

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, male ejaculation, and female ejaculation
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.