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dorsal |
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dorsalIn vertebrates, the surface of the animal closest to the backbone. For most vertebrates this is the upper surface, or the surface furthest from the ground. This latter criterion also allows a dorsal side to be defined in certain invertebrates, for example insects. For bipedal primates such as humans, where the dorsal surface faces backwards, then the word is ‘back’. Not all animals can be said to have a dorsal surface, just as many animals cannot be said to have a front; for example, jellyfish, anemones, and sponges do not have a dorsal surface. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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That evening he was within a feather-weight's turn of abandoning his road to the nearest station, and driving across that elevated dorsal line of South Wessex which divided him from his Tess's home. While crossing, I saw numerous whales belonging to the three kinds peculiar to the southern seas; the whale, or the English "right whale," which has no dorsal fin; the "humpback," with reeved chest and large, whitish fins, which, in spite of its name, do not form wings; and the fin-back, of a yellowish brown, the liveliest of all the cetacea. Nor did he see the dorsal fin break surface and approach him from the rear. |
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dorsal
