anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having it ...

, a fossa (; plural ''fossae'' ( or ); from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''fossa'', "ditch" or "trench") is a depression or hollow, usually in a bone, such as the hypophyseal fossa (the depression in the sphenoid bone).Venieratos D, Anagnostopoulou S, Garidou A., A new morphometric method for the sella turcica and the hypophyseal fossa and its clinical relevance.;Folia Morphol (Warsz). 2005 Nov;64(4):240-7. Some examples include: In the

Skull The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, th ...

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Cranial fossa A cranial fossa is formed by the floor of the cranial cavity. There are three distinct cranial fossae: * Anterior cranial fossa (''fossa cranii anterior''), housing the projecting frontal lobes of the brain * Middle cranial fossa (''fossa cranii ...

Anterior cranial fossa The anterior cranial fossa is a depression in the floor of the cranial base which houses the projecting frontal lobes of the brain. It is formed by the orbital plates of the frontal, the cribriform plate of the ethmoid, and the small wings and fr ...

Middle cranial fossa The middle cranial fossa, deeper than the anterior cranial fossa, is narrow medially and widens laterally to the sides of the skull. It is separated from the posterior fossa by the clivus and the petrous crest. It is bounded in front by the pos ...

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Interpeduncular fossa The interpeduncular fossa is a deep depression of the ventral surface of the midbrain between the two crura cerebri. It has been found in humans and macaques, but not in rats or mice, showing that this is a relatively new evolutionary region. A ...

Posterior cranial fossa The posterior cranial fossa is part of the cranial cavity, located between the foramen magnum and tentorium cerebelli. It contains the brainstem and cerebellum. This is the most inferior of the fossae. It houses the cerebellum, medulla and pons. ...

Hypophyseal fossa The sella turcica (Latin for 'Turkish saddle') is a saddle-shaped depression in the body of the sphenoid bone of the human skull and of the skulls of other hominids including chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans. It serves as a cephalometric ...

* Temporal bone fossa **

Mandibular fossa The mandibular fossa, also known as the glenoid fossa in some dental literature, is the depression in the temporal bone that articulates with the mandible. Structure In the temporal bone, the mandibular fossa is bounded anteriorly by the art ...

Jugular fossa The jugular fossa is a deep depression in the inferior part of the temporal bone at the base of the skull. It lodges the bulb of the internal jugular vein. Structure The jugular fossa is located in the temporal bone, posterior to the carotid can ...

* Infratemporal fossa *

Pterygopalatine fossa In human anatomy, the pterygopalatine fossa (sphenopalatine fossa) is a fossa in the skull. A human skull contains two pterygopalatine fossae—one on the left side, and another on the right side. Each fossa is a cone-shaped paired depression deep ...

Pterygoid fossa The pterygoid fossa is an anatomical term for the fossa formed by the divergence of the lateral pterygoid plate and the medial pterygoid plate of the sphenoid bone. Structure The lateral and medial pterygoid plates (of the pterygoid process of ...

* Lacrimal fossa **

Fossa for lacrimal gland The lacrimal fossa (or fossa for lacrimal gland) is located on the inferior surface of each orbital plate of the frontal bone. It is smooth and concave, and presents, laterally, underneath the zygomatic process, a shallow depression for the lacrim ...

Fossa for lacrimal sac A smooth, more deeply concave depression on the lacrimal bone, which forms the medial wall of the orbital cavity, in which the lacrimal sac that drains into the nasolacrimal duct The nasolacrimal duct (also called the tear duct) carries tears fr ...

Scaphoid fossa In the pterygoid processes of the sphenoid, above the pterygoid fossa is a small, oval, shallow depression, the scaphoid fossa, which gives origin to the Tensor veli palatini The tensor veli palatini muscle (tensor palati or tensor muscle of the ...

Condyloid fossa Behind either condyle of the lateral parts of occipital bone is a depression, the condyloid fossa (or condylar fossa), which receives the posterior margin of the superior facet of the atlas when the head is bent backward; the floor of this fossa is ...

Rhomboid fossa The rhomboid fossa is a rhombus-shaped depression that is the anterior part of the fourth ventricle. Its anterior wall, formed by the back of the pons and the medulla oblongata, constitutes the floor of the fourth ventricle. It is covered by a th ...

In the

Mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bone ...

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Retromolar fossa The retromolar fossa is a fossa of the mandible located posteriorly to the third molar. Part of the temporal muscle's tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to ...

In the

Torso The torso or trunk is an anatomical term for the central part, or the core, of the body of many animals (including humans), from which the head, neck, limbs, tail and other appendages extend. The tetrapod torso — including that of a huma ...

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Fossa ovalis (heart) The ''fossa ovalis'' is a depression in the right atrium of the heart, at the level of the interatrial septum, the wall between right and left atrium. The ''fossa ovalis'' is the remnant of a thin fibrous sheet that covered the '' foramen ovale'' ...

Infraclavicular fossa The Infraclavicular fossa is an indentation, or fossa, immediately below the clavicle, above the third rib and between the deltoid muscle The deltoid muscle is the muscle forming the rounded contour of the human shoulder. It is also known as the ...

Pyriform fossa On either side of the laryngeal orifice in humans is a recess, termed the pyriform sinus (also piriform recess, piriform sinus, piriform fossa, or smuggler's fossa), which is bounded medially by the aryepiglottic fold, laterally by the thyroid car ...

* Substernal fossa *

Iliac fossa The iliac fossa is a large, smooth, concave surface on the internal surface of the ilium (part of the three fused bones making the hip bone). Structure The iliac fossa is bounded above by the iliac crest, and below by the arcuate line. It is b ...

Ovarian fossa The ovarian fossa is a shallow depression on the lateral wall of the pelvis, where in the ovary lies. This ovarian fossa has the following boundaries: * superiorly: by the external iliac artery and vein * anteriorly and inferiorly: by the bro ...

Paravesical fossa The peritoneum of the anterior pelvic wall covers the superior surface of the bladder, and on either side of this viscus forms a depression, termed the paravesical fossa, which is limited laterally by the fold of peritoneum covering the ductus def ...

* Coccygeal fossa * Fossa navicularis ** Navicular fossa of male urethra **

Fossa of vestibule of vagina The fossa of vestibule of vagina (or fossa navicularis) is a boat-shaped depression between the vagina/hymen and the frenulum labiorum pudendi. The small openings of the Bartholin's ducts can be seen in the grooves between the hymen and the labia m ...

Ischioanal fossa The ischioanal fossa (formerly called ischiorectal fossa) is the fat-filled wedge-shaped space located lateral to the anal canal and inferior to the pelvic diaphragm. It is somewhat prismatic in shape, with its base directed to the surface of the ...

In the Upper Limb: * Supraclavicular fossa *

Radial fossa The radial fossa is a slight depression found on the humerus above the front part of the capitulum. It receives the anterior border of the head of the radius when the forearm is flexed. Structure The joint capsule of the elbow attaches to th ...

* On the

scapula The scapula (plural scapulae or scapulas), also known as the shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus (upper arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone). Like their connected bones, the scapulae are paired, with each scapula on eith ...

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Glenoid fossa The glenoid fossa of the scapula or the glenoid cavity is a bone part of the shoulder. The word ''glenoid'' is pronounced or (both are common) and is from el, gléne, "socket", reflecting the shoulder joint's ball-and-socket form. It is a sha ...

Supraspinous fossa The supraspinous fossa (supraspinatus fossa, supraspinatous fossa) of the posterior aspect of the scapula (the shoulder blade) is smaller than the infraspinous fossa, concave, smooth, and broader at its vertebral than at its humeral end. Its ...

Infraspinous fossa The infraspinous fossa (infraspinatus fossa or infraspinatous fossa) of the scapula is much larger than the supraspinatous fossa; toward its vertebral margin a shallow concavity is seen at its upper part; its center presents a prominent convexi ...

** Subscapular fossa *

Cubital fossa The cubital fossa, chelidon, or elbow pit, is the triangular area on the anterior side of the upper limb between the arm and forearm of a human or other hominid animals. It lies anteriorly to the elbow (Latin ) when in standard anatomical position ...

(a.k.a. Antecubital fossa) *

Olecranon fossa The olecranon fossa is a deep triangular depression on the posterior side of the humerus, superior to the trochlea. It provides space for the olecranon of the ulna during extension of the forearm. Structure The olecranon fossa is located on ...

In the Lower Limb: * Fossa ovalis (thigh) *

Trochanteric fossa In mammals including humans, the medial surface of the greater trochanter has at its base a deep depression bounded posteriorly by the intertrochanteric crest, called the trochanteric fossa. This fossa is the point of insertion of four muscles. Mo ...

Acetabular fossa The acetabular fossa is a fossa located at the centre of the acetabulum. It is occupied by the ligament of head of femur. In contrast to the thick and smooth surrounding lunate surface, the pelvis' articulation with the head of the femur, the ac ...

Popliteal fossa The popliteal fossa (also referred to as hough, .html" ;"title="/sup>">/sup> or kneepit in analogy to the cubital fossa) is a shallow depression located at the back of the knee joint. The bones of the popliteal fossa are the femur and the tibia ...

* Intercondyloid fossa **

Anterior intercondyloid fossa The intercondylar area is the separation between the medial and lateral condyle on the upper extremity of the tibia. The anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments and the menisci attach to the intercondylar area. The intercondyloid eminence i ...

Posterior intercondyloid fossa The intercondylar area is the separation between the medial and lateral condyle on the upper extremity of the tibia. The anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments and the menisci attach to the intercondylar area. The intercondyloid eminence i ...

Intercondylar fossa of femur The intercondylar fossa of femur (intercondyloid fossa of femur, intercondylar notch of femur) is a deep notch between the rear surfaces of the medial and lateral epicondyle of the femur, two protrusions on the distal end of the femur (thigh bon ...

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