The intergluteal cleft or just gluteal cleft, also known by a number of synonyms, including natal cleft, butt crack, and cluneal cleft, is the groove between the buttocks that runs from just below the

sacrum The sacrum (plural: ''sacra'' or ''sacrums''), in human anatomy, is a large, triangular bone at the base of the spine that forms by the fusing of the sacral vertebrae (S1S5) between ages 18 and 30. The sacrum situates at the upper, back part ...

to the perineum, so named because it forms the visible border between the external rounded protrusions of the gluteus maximus muscles. Other names are the ''anal cleft'', ''crena analis'', ''crena interglutealis'', and ''rima ani''. Colloquially the intergluteal cleft is known as ''bum crack'' (UK) or ''butt crack'' (US). The intergluteal cleft is located superior to the

anus The anus (Latin, 'ring' or 'circle') is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, the residual semi-solid waste that remains after food digestion, which, d ...

. There are several disorders that can affect the intergluteal cleft including inverse psoriasis,

caudal regression syndrome Caudal regression syndrome, or sacral agenesis (or hypoplasia of the sacrum), is a rare birth defect. It is a congenital disorder in which the fetal development of the lower spine—the caudal partition of the spine—is abnormal. It occurs at a ...

, and

pilonidal disease Pilonidal disease is a type of skin infection which typically occurs as a cyst between the cheeks of the buttocks and often at the upper end. Symptoms may include pain, swelling, and redness. There may also be drainage of fluid, but rarely a fev ...

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Buttocks {{anatomy-stub

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