Anatomical terms of location
![](/Images/godic/202502/13/View_of_Viscera_Page_820502.jpg")
![Unique anatomical terminology is used to describe humans and other animals. Because of differences in the way humans and other animals are structured, different terms are used depending on the neuraxis and whether an animal is a vertebrate and invertebrate.](/Images/godic/202502/13/1303_Human_Neuroaxis0502.jpg")
![A jellyfish of the Chrysaora species. Like other animals, its appendages move, and in this image are not in a standard anatomical position. In anatomical position, the proximodistal axis (labelled) is straight, and the point labelled](/Images/godic/202502/13/Radiate_Oral-aboral_Axes0502.JPG")
![Anatomical planes in a human](/Images/godic/202502/13/BodyPlanes0502.jpg")
Standard anatomical terms of location deal unambiguously with the anatomy of animals, including humans.
All vertebrates (including humans) have the same basic body plan — they are strictly bilaterally symmetrical in early embryonic stages and largely bilaterally symmetrical in adulthood. That is, they have mirror-image left and right halves if divided down the centre. For these reasons, the basic directional terms can be considered to be those used in vertebrates. By extension, the same terms are used for many other (invertebrate) organisms as well.