Editing Body orifice

{{Short description|Functional opening in the body of an organism}}
{{one source|date=October 2024}}
A '''body orifice''' is any opening in the body of an animal.

==External==
In a typical [[mammal]]ian body such as the [[human body]], the external body orifices are:

* The [[nostril]]s, for [[breath]]ing and the associated sense of [[olfaction|smell]]
* The [[mouth]], for [[eating]], [[drinking]], breathing, and vocalizations such as [[Speech communication|speech]]
* The [[ear canal]]s, for the sense of [[hearing (sense)|hearing]] 
* The [[nasolacrimal duct]]s, 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 [[female]]s, the [[vagina]], for [[Menstruation (mammal)|menstruation]], [[Copulation (zoology)|copulation]] and [[birth]]
* The [[nipple]] orifices

Other animals may have some other body orifices:
*[[cloaca]], in [[bird]]s, [[reptile]]s, [[amphibians]], and a few mammals, such as [[monotremes]].<ref name="l924">{{cite journal | last=Hall | first=Margaret I. | last2=Rodriguez-Sosa | first2=José R. | last3=Plochocki | first3=Jeffrey H. | title=Reorganization of mammalian body wall patterning with cloacal septation | journal=Scientific Reports | publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC | volume=7 | issue=1 | date=2017-08-23 | issn=2045-2322 | doi=10.1038/s41598-017-09359-y | doi-access=free | page=| pmc=5569103 }}</ref>
*[[Hyponome|siphon]] in [[mollusk]]s, [[arthropods]], and some other animals

==Internal==
Internal orifices include the orifices of the outflow tracts of the heart, between the [[heart valve]]s.

==See also==
*[[Internal urethral orifice]]
*[[Mucosa]]
*[[Mucocutaneous boundary]]
*[[Meatus (disambiguation)|Meatus]]
*[[Body cavity]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Body orifice}}
[[Category:Anatomy]]